time doesn't stand still anymore
by TheElejahDiaries
Summary: Esther's ritual almost works, but in the end it kills her and leaves one Original still alive. Now human and dealing with passing time again, Elijah strives to work through his grief. Can a certain doppelgänger be there to help him? Elena/Elijah.
1. Chapter 1

_**~~~Survive For Me~~~**_

* * *

The Latin words rolled off her tongue like raindrops. She raised her arms, feeling the power course through her body like electricity. It felt so real. So much like before.

She kept her eyes tightly closed, unable to look at four of her children that were gathered around the circle. Especially Elijah. The moment she opened her eyes, she could imagine the hurt and the betrayal in his face. Out of all of her children, he was always the one that was the most noble, the most gentle. He never took human life if he could help it.

Her arms were shaking heavily, unable to hold on anymore. "Sisters! Please!" she cried up to the heavens.

* * *

"Damon! Damon, no!"

Damon ignored Bonnie as he forced his cut wrist to Abby's mouth. He felt her lips take in the sticky fluid and then with one quick and painless action, he snapped her neck.

"NO!"

* * *

The power surged through her body, aching her bones. It felt so real and so right to her. Everything about it was so…

But then it was all gone.

Cries rang through the air and she could hear bodies dropping to the ground. She forced her eyes open in time to see Elijah staring at her in shock before he fell down into a heap on the crunchy grass.

Her eyes surveyed the damage.

Klaus was laying spread-eagled on his back, his eyes open and unseeing, finally dead to the world.

Kol lay about twenty feet away on his side. His arm was tucked underneath his head, as if he was sleeping. But she knew he wasn't.

Elijah was on his front, his face turned out to the side. His eyes were half closed and she could see a strip of white underneath his lids. His arms were pressed into the ground underneath him like he was trying to push himself back up.

In front of her, Finn was on his back, the stake sticking out of his chest. His arms were pushed into the ground, his fingers still gripping the grass as he had when he was in pain after the staking.

She could feel it, all of her children were gone. She knew Rebekah had fallen nearby as well but couldn't bring herself to go and look.

But then the pain hit her own heart. She clutched at her chest, feeling the breath being ripped from her body.

"No!" she forced out, her eyes up to the heavens. "Please, no!"

Then she fell, never to move again.

* * *

"What happened? Damon, let go of me!"

Elena thrashed against Damon's grip, her eyes still focused on the top of the hill where she had seen the last of the lights go out. Damon still held onto her, his hands too tight and almost painful on her wrists.

"I swear to god, Damon, you are going to let go of me right now!"

Then he released her.

Elena stared at him, surprised. But then she saw the reason why. Stefan had flown out of nowhere and pulled Damon away from her and was holding him back.

"Thank you, Stefan," she whispered before shooting up the hill with such speed that she didn't know she had.

Once she got up there, she found a sight in front of her that almost made her sick. After seeing Rebekah drop dead in front of her, she didn't want to believe that it was true.

Truth was, she didn't give a flying fig about Esther, Kol, Klaus, or Finn. But there was one man that she did care about and was sorry to see him gone.

Her knees gave out from underneath her as she approached Elijah's body. She crawled over and placed her hand on his eyelids, hoping to bring that vacant stare to an end because she knew it was going to haunt her for the rest of her life.

But then she noticed something that made her heart skip a beat.

The other vampires that were laying dead around her all had that familiar ashen look to their faces. She had seen so many dead vampires that she knew better than to be fooled. They were all dead.

All but one.

"Oh, my God. He's alive… _He's alive_!"

Damon and Stefan were beside her in a second, both of them kneeling beside Elijah's body. Stefan gently felt for a pulse and could feel it beating away. It was weak, but it was there. He leaned close and sniffed his neck.

"What are you doing?" asked Elena, her nose wrinkled up.

"Human…"

"What?"

"He's human. His heart's beating, his pulse is working. He's human, you two," said Stefan.

Investigating for himself, Damon did the same thing that Stefan did. He rocked back on his heels and nodded. "Yep, human."

"How is that possible?"

"I think what happened is that when Damon turned Abby and broke the link, Esther's ritual had already gone through her other children and hadn't hit Elijah yet. As the power left Esther after killing the others, it in turn went into Elijah and turned him human again," Stefan explained.

Both Damon and Elena stared at him. "How the hell could you possibly know that?" Damon barked.

"Been around witches too long," said Stefan nonchalantly.

At that moment, a low painful groan came from the now-human Elijah. Stefan sighed and stood up. "Get him to the hospital. I'll clean up this mess."

Damon stood too, shaking his head. "Nah, Stef. You and Elena get pretty boy Original to the hospital and I'll clean this up. I'm better at it than you are," he said.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Both of you are idiots."

* * *

Coma.

He was in a coma.

Elena stared at his still body, his chest rising and falling with every shaky breath. Tears pricked her eyes and she shamefully pushed them away.

The heart monitor beeped slowly, showing every struggling beat of his heart, making her own heart ache with sadness and pain for her friend.

Her friend.

Wow.

She had never really thought about it before, but Elijah really was her friend.

And she was his.

She hated herself for caring about him. As she knew Caroline hated herself for caring about Klaus. But maybe, now that he was human again, he could live a life that she knew he deserved.

"How is he?"

Caroline's gentle voice made her come out of her thoughts. She sighed and rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to hold herself together.

"Sleeping."

"Stefan told me that he's in a coma," whispered Caroline.

"No, he's just sleeping," said Elena more forcefully. "That's what I chose to believe."

Caroline's eyes found her friend's and she gave her a sad smile. "I know you care about him."

"More than I want to," said Elena, pushing more tears out of her eyes. "I don't know how I'm going to tell him that his whole family is dead."

"You don't have to, you know."

"It should come from me."

"I think the more pressing thing on his mind is going to be that he's human again," said Caroline.

Elena let out another sigh before running her hands over her face in an attempt to pull herself together again. "I'm sorry about Klaus."

Caroline's eyes widened. "Why would I care about Klaus? I'm glad he's dead."

"Caroline, please."

"No, Elena. That filth caused so much havoc in this town. It's about time he's gone. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Elijah survived. But the rest of them-"

But she couldn't do it anymore and tears sprang to her eyes.

"It's okay to be a little sad, Care," whispered Elena. "He cared about you."

"It's like-, god I don't want to feel this way about someone like him. He was just a horrible individual and—damn it!" Caroline pushed the tears away but couldn't take it anymore, letting a small sob fall through her lips. "I don't want to feel this way. I hate feeling this way."

Elena slowly slipped her arms around her friend, allowing her head to fall on her shoulder. She could feel her tears soaking her shirt but didn't care. All she wanted was for that peace to come back even though she didn't think it ever would.

* * *

After kicking Stefan and Damon out for the final time, Elena found herself alone with Elijah. Caroline had stuck around for a while and finally got the strength to go home and left with the parting message of "be careful" to her friend. Elena waved it away and sank back into the chair, feeling relieved when the door closed behind Caroline, leaving her alone.

The nurses had flitted in out of the room over the course of the night, checking Elijah's vitals. They had pronounced him stable hours ago. He just needed to wake up.

The only way that they were allowing her to stay in the room was that she had lied. She had told the nurses that she was Elijah's fiancée. It felt weird lying about something like that. It also felt extremely weird caring so much about a vampire like him.

A former vampire.

Love was just dumb in the world that she lived in. She had been in love with Matt for most of her life, like she had been promised to him from the moment she was born. And those fifteen years were really good. Much better than she had ever given them credit for.

But then her parents died and it was all over in a flash. She lashed out at everything and dumped Matt and tore away from all of the normalcy that was still there.

Then Stefan Salvatore walked into her life.

On again, off again, round and round like a merry-go-round they went. She had admitted to herself that it would never work out. He was a vampire, she was human. And all she ever wanted was to live a normal human life, live through the pain and the heartache, live through all of it.

Damon Salvatore tried time and time again to prove to her that he was the one for her, but he wasn't. They both knew it deep down. She knew that neither brother was the right one for her, and it broke her heart to come to that realization because of how much she cared. All she wanted for them was the best.

She just hoped that they could find it someday with women that could spend eternity with them.

It was like living in heaven sometimes, surrounded by people who were in love with her. But that only lasted a little while and she wished with everything she had that it could go back to the way it was before. She missed being just the ordinary Elena Gilbert. But a certain person made her feel like that again.

All he needed to do was wake up.

She had so many senses about people, that being the gift she was blessed with. She had wondered what kind of senses would be elevated if she had become a vampire after the sacrifice and soon figured out that it would have been that.

And her sense about Elijah was that he had been hurt when he was human. There was so much that she wanted to know about him, but knew she never could get close.

Maybe she could now.

* * *

**A/N: **So this fic originally belonged to abbyli, but she handed the story over to me after she ran out of inspiration. The first eight chapters are hers, with minor revisions/changes from yours truly. Please check out abbyli, because her writing is superb! She is currently writing a new Elejah fic that's extremely brilliant!

Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)


	2. Chapter 2

_**~~~Open Your Eyes~~~**_

* * *

_It was so calm, so gentle._

_The waves lapped at his feet, skimming at the tops of his shoes. He was sorely tempted to rip them off and go running into the water, but knew better. It was not the way he was raised._

"_It's okay to let go and be free, you know," came a voice from his right._

_He turned his eyes and found himself looking into magnificent coffee colored eyes._

_Elena cast him a beautiful smile and gently placed her hand on his shoulder._

"_It's all right," she whispered again._

_He sighed and gave in. He pulled off his shoes with lightning speed and placed his feet into the low water. He let out another gust of breath and almost fell face forward when Elena gave him a push._

"_Hey!"_

_She laughed an amazing laugh and started running down the beach. "Catch me if you can!"_

_He ran after her, his own laughter mixing in with hers. "I'm gonna get you!"_

"_Just try!"_

_He easily caught up with her and grabbed her around the waist, gently tossing her down into the sand. She giggled and looked up at him, her brown orbs starting to pull him in._

"_Don't do that," he warned._

"_Do what?"_

"_Give me that look."_

"_What look?"_

"_That look that you get when you want something!"_

"_Oh, you mean this look?" She propped herself up on her elbows and batted her eyelashes, pulling the perfect puppy dog face._

_He groaned, immediately giving in. He leaned down, his lips a breath away from hers._

"_I love you," he whispered. "You know that?"_

"_Oh, you big lug..." she found herself saying back. "I love you too."_

_She quickly closed the distance between their mouths, kissing him gently, but with enough passion to send electric currents down his spine. Her kiss...her touch...it was what he was craving to feel for his entirely too long of a life. It was her._

_She was all he ever wanted._

"_Daddy! Momma!"_

_Well, almost._

_They sprang apart as the splashing of tiny feet quickly caught up to them._

"_Are you two kissing again?" asked the five year old little boy._

_He laughed and sat up, pulling their son into his arms. "Maybe."_

"_You guys are weird. Too lovey-dovey," said their son._

"_We know. Aren't you so lucky?" chuckled Elena, kissing his forehead._

_He laughed again, hugging the tiny boy to his chest. Her own arms circled the both of them, comfort and love and gentle-hearted peace finally evident, finally there._

_Forever._

* * *

"Elijah? Elijah, can you hear me?"

He heard her voice from so far away. It felt like miles even though he knew she was right there beside him.

"Elena?"

His voice was raspy and froglike, sounding so unlike his. He could feel gentle hands on his own, feather light fingertips brushing against the back of his hands.

"Yeah, I'm here. Open your eyes. Please..." The last word was almost like a plea.

He worked at it, finally pulling the lids back on his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a pair of brown orbs, filled with worry and compassion. He felt like a lost puppy dog that she had found and was trying to nurse back to health.

Elena watched him closely, unsure of what to do other than hold his hand. She glanced over at Meredith who nodded encouragingly.

"You're all right," Meredith whispered, reassuring her.

"Elijah?" she whispered again, feeling quite stupid. His eyelids fluttered again and his fingers tightened around hers. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god."

* * *

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

It was twenty minutes later. They were alone again, Meredith having left after hooking Elijah up to oxygen for another few hours before she discharged him. Elijah found the tubes annoying and unnecessary, already getting a sense of what was going on.

Elena could see the irritation in his face. Elijah wasn't a stupid man. Being in the hospital alone was a dead giveaway to what had happened.

"Your mother's spell didn't go as planned," she began slowly, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.

"What exactly are you saying?" he asked, already knowing what had happened.

"You're human, Elijah," said Elena, bluntness in her voice. "You are no longer a vampire. Your mom's spell didn't kill you, it turned you back."

Even though he already knew it, he was still alarmed and scared when the words came out of her mouth.

"What?"

At that moment, Elena's heart broke. He sounded so much like a little boy and it immediately brought out that maternal side of her.

Stop it, Elena.

"You're human," she repeated gently.

At that moment, Elijah realized the exact reason why he was in the hospital. He must have collapsed or was unconscious for a very long time to have been brought here.

"Why am I here?" he asked quietly.

"When the ritual happened, you collapsed. No one could wake you so you were brought here. Meredith has been your doctor so-"

"Yes, I understand."

"But you're doing fine. Meredith wants you to stay on oxygen for a few more hours and to spend one more night here so she can observe you and then you'll be discharged in the morning," Elena quickly explained. "You're all right."

Was she trying to assure him of that or was she trying to assure herself?

A thought dawned on Elijah's mind, causing a swoop of guilt to course through his steadily working body.

"What about my family? Where are they? Are they here?" he asked, worry lacing his usually crisp voice.

Elena swallowed noisily, praising the heavens that he couldn't hear her heartbeat anymore. She exhaled and inhaled one more time before opening her mouth to speak.

"The power that Esther channeled was too much for her to handle," she began slowly, her brown eyes on his face. "She didn't make it."

Elijah's face remained impassive. He wouldn't show his emotions. He had sworn that to himself so many years ago and just that one time, had almost allowed himself to feel in front of this girl. He wouldn't do that again. He wouldn't.

"What about the others? Niklaus and Kol, Finn and - Rebekah -"

A tear glittered in Elena's eye as the words spilled out of her mouth. "You're the only one that made it this far. Esther...Esther succeeded in killing the rest of your siblings. You are the only one that has survived."

It couldn't be possible. No, it just couldn't be.

He couldn't be the sole survivor.

Elena took in another breath, her eyes still on him. She could see the most inner parts of his shell starting to crack away and felt her heart go out to him.

It was like watching a small child trying to hold it together but sadly failing. First his bottom lip started to tremble, followed by water filling his eyelids to the brim. He began to swallow quickly, trying so hard to stem back the tears that were sure to follow. But he wouldn't let them fall. He would not let them fall.

Elena reached out and took one of his hands, taking it as a good sign that he didn't pull away. Her heart breaking even more, she brought his hand to her lips, gently kissing it. She didn't dare try to hug him even though she wanted to. It was that damn maternal side of her taking over again.

Or was it? Maybe she just wanted to hold her friend.

"I am so sorry," she murmured against the warm skin. "I am so, so sorry."

Elijah looked at her, knowing that she knew how he felt. But he wouldn't let it break out of him.

No.

For now, it was all right. What she was doing was probably the best thing for him.

They stayed that way for several minutes, Elijah staring straight ahead while Elena held his hand. Neither of them moved nor said anything.

No words were needed.

* * *

Elena lifted a shaking hand to knock on the door. Caroline answered seconds later.

"Hey, Elena," said Caroline, relief in her eyes. "I'm glad you came."

"Did you tell Bonnie about-?"

Caroline nodded. "Yes, I did. She says that she understands."

"How's Abby doing?"

Caroline sighed. "She's still out. She will have to make a decision once—"

"She wakes up," Elena finished, sadness in her throat. "I can't imagine what Bonnie's going through."

"She's just angry, Elena. She just got her mom back and now the fact that Abby's in transition and may not want to complete it once she wakes up is weighing on her mind so heavily. And it was all to protect you," whispered Caroline. "Don't get me wrong, I understand why you stayed away. But—"

"Will she see me?" asked Elena, tears closing her throat up.

Caroline shook her head. "No, not yet."

Elena took a deep breath. Being around vampires for so long had heightened her senses and she knew that Bonnie was around the corner.

"Bonnie, I love you. And I am so, so sorry that this happened to you. Please, call me when you want to talk to me. I will be there for you. I promise."

With that, Elena carefully stepped off the porch and disappeared back into the near evening air. Caroline quietly closed the door after her and looked down the hallway.

"Did you hear that?"

Bonnie stepped out into view. "Yeah."

"She loves you so much, Bonnie. You have to let her help you," whispered Caroline.

"My mother may become a vampire because of her. And now she's staying with that Original and—"

"Elijah's human again. It's the whole cosmic interlude crap. Abby turns into a vampire and Elijah turns into a human," Caroline invented wildly.

"You're right," Bonnie sighed.

Caroline stared at her. "I am?"

Bonnie chuckled. "Nothing, never mind."

"You are both going to need each other so much," said Caroline, her eyes soft with sympathy. "Let it happen."

"Since when did you become such a relationship philanthropist?" asked Bonnie.

Caroline chuckled. "Ever since I became a vampire," she murmured. "Come on, let's go check on your mom and then you can call Elena."

* * *

Elena got back to the hospital within thirty minutes to find Alaric standing outside of Elijah's room.

"Ric, what are you doing here?"

"Came to check on you. I got this garbled message from Caroline telling me that you were staying here at the hospital with Elijah. Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?"

"Damon didn't tell you?" asked Elena.

"He told me that the ritual went all 'flooey' and that all the Originals are dead except Elijah. He said that Elijah is human again," said Ric.

"He is human again, Alaric. He was unconscious for the night and woke up this morning," said Elena.

"Does he know about his family?"

"Yes, I told him."

Alaric sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. He wasn't even going to try to argue with his surrogate daughter because he knew he would lose.

"Be careful, Elena. Just because he is human again…"

"Yes, _Dad, _I will be careful," said Elena, a swoop of love and gratitude for the man in front of her racing through her body.

Alaric stepped forward and pulled Elena's head towards him, laying a quick kiss on her forehead. He swept past her without a backwards glance.

Elena watched him go before she turned back into the hospital room, carefully opening the door and slipping inside.

Elijah was fast asleep in the big white bed, still hooked up to oxygen. She glanced at the chart on the door and saw that Meredith had ordered another four hours of oxygen just to be on the safe side. She could understand why; becoming a human after being a vampire for 1100 years would take her breath away, too.

She watched the man as he slept, her eyes raking over everything about him. How smooth his skin was, not a blemish, not a flaw. How granite-like his jaw seemed, how sturdy. His shorn hair was sticking up all over the place, his long brown lashes laying against his skin in a gentle way.

Whoa, knock it off Elena.

Ah, hell. She could at least finally admit it to herself.

Elijah was downright hot.

She let out a loud sigh and quickly clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes watching her friend's sleeping form. Luckily, he didn't rouse. She lowered herself back onto the wooden chair and pulled a magazine off the table in front of her, getting ready for another long day.


	3. Chapter 3

~~~Better Than I~~~

* * *

Hours passed. Elena tried to keep herself busy and alert, answering texts from Damon, Stefan, and Caroline, and reading every magazine in the place for the fourth time. Her boredom and her exhaustion was weighing on her head and she could feel her eyelids drooping.

And then she let the darkness take her over and she slipped off to sleep.

* * *

Elijah woke up about an hour later. The first thing he saw was a figure curled up in the wooden chair across the room from his bed. Blinking quickly and clearing his vision, he saw the long shiny dark hair hanging over the back of the chair.

Elena.

She had stayed with him throughout the night.

For the next ten minutes, he just watched her sleep. She looked so innocent and angelic in a sense, like none of the hell of the past year had happened. None of what he had done to her had happened.

His eyes looked her over, from her shining dark hair that stuck out in a tangled disarray, her olive skin, her pristine lips...

Be careful, Elijah. That's what got you in trouble in the first place.

All of the sudden, a small snort escaped Elena's mouth. He glanced up, surprised at the noise. And soon that noise was followed by another. And then another.

Goodness...Miss Perfect snored.

He continued to watch her sleep for the next several minutes, oddly finding the quiet sounds of her snoring calming. He was in danger of dropping off again when he heard her starting to stir.

"Good afternoon," he whispered.

"Aw, man. Did I fall asleep?" she mumbled, rubbing her knuckles into her eyes.

"Yes, you did. You looked quite peaceful," he murmured.

"You're lucky you've got that big bed. This is not comfortable," said Elena. She pulled her legs off of the arm of the chair and shakily stood up, stretching her sore limbs. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," he said truthfully. "I'd like to get out of here."

"Well, I'll call Meredith and have her come check on you," said Elena. "Maybe she can release you early."

The protest that was forming on his lips died in his throat as Elena swept out of the room. He watched her go, still inhaling her sweet scent of lavender and honey. He didn't want her to leave him.

But she returned within minutes, Meredith behind her. He noticed that there was a slight haste in her steps as she walked. Almost like she hurrying back to him.

Meredith began to check his vitals. She finally removed the annoying oxygen tube from his nose and released him from the painful IV saline tubes.

"All right, I want you to rest for a little while longer and I will order your release for this afternoon instead of the morning," said Meredith. "Please, take it easy. Your body has undergone a huge trauma. Elena, will you keep an eye on him?"

"Of course," Elena immediately said.

"What am I? Eight years old?" Elijah protested.

"No, you're an 1100 year old who just got turned back into a human," Elena shot back. "You will do as the doctor says."

Elijah sent an angry huff in her direction before crossing his arms across his chest and sinking lower into the bed. Elena mirrored him, her own eyes focused in a glare at her knees.

Meredith watched the two of them with wide eyes. Then she rolled them and crossed the linoleum floor to the doorway. She cast one more look back at the couple and smiled before closing the door behind her.

* * *

After twenty minutes of sitting in silence and agitation, Elena finally spoke again.

"Do you wanna try walking?" she asked.

The thought hadn't really dawned on Elijah. He was sure that he would quite shaky now that the transformation was complete. But his desire to get out of this smelly hospital had overshadowed the actual fact of walking out of there.

"Yes," he whispered.

Elena stood up and approached the bed, watching him as he pushed the covers off of his legs. That was when he noticed what he was dressed in - cotton sweatpants and a white t-shirt. Thankfully, he wasn't in one of those ridiculous hospital gowns. He noticed the small smirk on Elena's face and narrowed his brown eyes.

"What's so funny?"

"I can practically read your mind," she said simply. Then without saying another word, she gently grabbed onto his arm and carefully pulled him to his feet.

Elijah felt like a newborn baby taking his first steps. His knees were trembling and his calves felt like they could barely support him. He felt himself stagger against Elena in support and she wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled his other arm around her neck.

"Hold onto me," she whispered in his ear.

Together, they took five shaky steps across the floor to the doorway. Carefully, Elena brought him back to the bed and helped him lower himself down.

"Well, humanity's becoming a pain, isn't it?" she remarked, a small smile on her lips.

Elijah chuckled. "Just a bit."

"It's going to take some time, Elijah. You know that?" she murmured.

He nodded. He stared at his knees for a second before whispering, "I don't like being vulnerable."

Elena stepped back slightly in surprise. She didn't really know what to say to that and thought better than to even try. Her hand skimmed over the top of his shoulder and brushed against the back of his neck. She could feel Elijah's shoulders tense slightly and then relax at her touch. Her heart broke again for him, already knowing what was going through his mind.

* * *

"Do you want me to take you back to the mansion?"

They were in Elena's SUV, finally pulling out of the hospital parking lot. They hadn't talked about where Elijah was going to go now that he was out of the hospital and it was kind of looking them in the face.

Elijah took a deep breath, shivering in the threadbare coat that Alaric Saltzman had dropped off when Elena had called him. Elena flipped a switch on the dash panel and heat started to slowly trickle through the plastic bars on the vents.

"Yes," he whispered simply.

"Are you sure? Because you are perfectly welcome to stay at my house until you figure something out," said Elena, her eyes leaving the road to rest on him.

He smiled softly. "Thank you, but you have already done enough for me."

Elena opened her mouth but then closed it, already knowing that she would lose the argument if she began one.

They drove in silence for the next several minutes, Elena taking the route to Klaus's mansion that lay hidden in the woods. She was so tempted to say something but bit her tongue, knowing that it wouldn't get her anywhere. Despite being a noble man, Elijah was also a stubborn man.

Finally, she found herself at the end of the driveway and carefully drove the Jeep down it, ending her drive almost to the front door. She parked the car and began to get out. Elijah opened up his door and slowly shifted a leg out. Elena was by his side in a second and held the door steady for him to use as a crutch as he pulled the rest of his long body out.

Without any objections from the latter, Elena helped Elijah up the steps and through the front door. She released his arm only when she had to shut the door and then came back to his side.

For almost two whole minutes, they stood in silence in the parlor. Elena looked around, her eyes taking in every single aspect of the place. The pristine sofas, the velvet chairs, the high glass bar, the sparkling decanters, she could go on and on.

It was a beautiful place, she had to admit that. Klaus did have good taste.

But she hated it.

It didn't feel like home. She knew that none of the Mikaelson family had ever felt like they were at home here. It was like a place to hang clothes and to take a shower before going on their way.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked Elijah as he gently broke away from her hands and lowered himself down onto the red velvet sofa.

He let out a groan of exhaustion and nodded. "Yes, I will."

Not exactly sure of what she should do, Elena made leave for the door. For a split second though, she thought she saw a look of sadness in Elijah's brown eyes.

"You have my number in your phone," she said. "Please call me if you need anything. Please," she added firmly.

Elijah gave her a weak smile. "I will, Elena. Thank you for all you have done."

"Of course," she whispered. "Of course."

Then, knowing it was time for her to leave, Elena grabbed her bag and slowly swept out of the house, carefully closing the door after her.

As she walked down the steps, she thought about the last two days. She couldn't believe that everything had summed up the way it had. But in truth, she was happy it had turned out the way it had.

Elijah was still alive.

At that moment, her cell phone buzzed.

I'm ready. B.

Like lightning, Elena leapt into her car and took off like a shot, going to finally be with her friend.

* * *

Elijah remained where Elena had left him, his eyes in soft focus, not really taking in the room. He could feel himself on the brink of sleep before his eyes snapped back into focus.

"Damn it," he whispered.

Everything around him screamed Mikaelson, and it was the one thing that he wanted to escape from the most. His heart ached with every painful thump, all of the past two days finally coming back.

His mother's words.

His brothers' cries.

All of it.

"I have to get out of here," he said aloud.

He rose off of the couch and made for the door, but a sudden swoop of wooziness raced through him and he clutched at his head. His vision blurred again and his head spun.

"Oh, God—"

The last thing he saw was the floor hurling at his forehead before his world went black.

* * *

Something was wrong.

After leaving Bonnie's house and helping see Abby through her transformation, Elena had suddenly been struck by a feeling.

Something wasn't right.

Her phone rang as she went for her car. She grabbed it and glanced at the ID.

"Alaric, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Just wondering when you're coming home," said her father.

"Uh, soon. I just need to run by the Mikaelson mansion and check on Elijah," said Elena as she put the key in the ignition. She ignored the groan that came from her father's mouth.

"Elena, I think you need to knock off the mother hen act and come home. I'm sure Elijah's fine."

"Alaric, I've got a bad feeling. I just want to check on him really quick. It won't take long," said Elena.

Alaric let out another grunt before giving in. "Fine. Just get your butt home soon."

"Thank you."

Elena hung up her phone, tucking it back inside her pocket and pulling out of the Forbeses' driveway.

She broke the speed limit heading back to the mansion, worry clenching her throat. As she drove, her fear intensified and she hoped with everything she had that she was horribly wrong and that Elijah was fine.

She finally got back to the house, racing down the long driveway and pulling up to the front door, flying out of the car at top speed. She pushed open the door, not surprised to find it unlocked. She fell through the doorway to find what she most feared.

"Elijah!"


	4. Chapter 4

**~~~The Angel Opens Her Eyes~~~**

* * *

He felt like someone was using his head as a baseball in batting practice. The pounding was so heavy that he wanted to cry out in pain but just couldn't. Every time he opened his mouth to scream, it was like someone was shoving a gag down his throat.

"Elijah!"

He could feel someone lifting him up and shoving pillows under his back and head. He groaned in agony, allowing the gentle hands to brush against his face and neck.

"Elijah, you're all right," said the sweet voice. "You're okay."

"Elena?"

"Yeah, it's me. You're all right," whispered Elena.

Elijah finally managed to wrench his eyes open. He found himself looking into a pair of familiar brown orbs and sighed, the pain finally starting to fade away.

"What-what happened?" he choked out.

"I found you passed out on the floor. You scared the hell out of me," said Elena. He could see dark circles forming under her pretty eyes. A swoop of guilt ran through him at the exhaustion he was causing her.

"I thought you went home," whispered Elijah, running a hand over his eyes.

"I was going to, but then I decided to come back and check on you really quick. I found you on the floor, burning up with a fever. You've been in and out of consciousness for the last six hours. I was going to call an ambulance. I still think you should go back to the hospital," Elena said all in one breath.

"No, no, no. I'm not going back to that place," he grumbled.

"Elijah, you have a fever of 102.4!" Elena shot back. "But-" she ran a cool hand across his forehead. "But it's down." She sighed. "You win."

Elijah sighed too. "You didn't have to stay with me."

"I know," said Elena as she rose to her feet, carrying a bowl of cool water and a wet rag in her hands. Elijah realized she had been wiping his face.

She disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with two cups of steaming liquid. He immediately recognized the aroma of Earl Grey tea with sprigs of mint and dollops of honey. She carefully set one cup down beside his head while keeping the other in her hand.

"How did you know?" he asked, eyeing the tea before carefully picking it up.

Elena shrugged her shoulders. "Instinct."

He rolled his eyes and took a ginger sip. His taste buds buzzed alive in a way that they hadn't in nearly 1200 years. She knew the exact amount of each ingredient he liked in his tea.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Elena nodded, knowing that those two words referred to a lot more than just tea.

* * *

"His fever's down?"

"It's down to 99.7."

"That's good," said Meredith. "You're doing the right thing, Elena."

"Should I just knock him out with a wooden mallet and bring him in?" asked Elena.

Meredith chuckled dryly. "No, you don't have to. If his temperature goes back up, call an ambulance and they'll bring him in. Just keep doing what you're doing, Elena. Keep pumping liquids into him and make sure he doesn't move off of that couch. Also try to get him to eat something light. Dry toast, bananas, applesauce. They'll be gentle on his stomach."

Elena breathed out heavily. "All right. Thanks, Meredith. I'm just-"

"Just what?"

"Just scared. I mean, Abby Bennett completed her transition. She's a vampire now and Elijah is a human again. I'm terrified at what could happen. Elijah's so weak and Abby is going to be so strong and so-"

"It's normal for Elijah to be this weak. After becoming a human again, it's plausible that his immune system would be this slow after not needing it for 1150 years. But, you can relax, Elena. It'll be okay," Meredith said, her voice soothing. "Let me give you one piece of advice."

"What's that?"

"Remain calm and also, _call Alaric. _He's freaking out about you," said Meredith.

Guilt filled her throat and she sighed. "Fine."

"All right. Now, call me if Elijah gets worse."

"I will."

The line went dead.

"Oh, mother hen?"

Elijah's voice carried into the kitchen like a church bell ringing in the distance. A small smile cracked on Elena's lips as she finished making another cup of tea and brought it out to the former vampire.

* * *

"Do you realize that if you were a little girl, I would be spanking you right now?"

Elena sighed, pressing her hands to Alaric's shoulders, trying to calm him. "Alaric, I'm fine. You don't have to talk to me like I'm five."

"Well, you're acting like it! You scared the hell out of me when you didn't come home _again._ And then I get a phone call from Meredith telling me that you're staying here with the vamp at his _house_!" Alaric snapped, fury mixed with fatherly love in his eyes.

Elena breathed out. "I'm so sorry that I scared you. I am. But-"

"You better be! Damn it, Elena, you and Jeremy are all I got left and I couldn't bear it if-"

Alaric's voice was cut off by Elena throwing her arms around him. He stood silently for a few moments before his own arms came up and looped around her waist.

"What's that for?" he whispered when she finally pulled away.

"Just saying thank you for giving a damn," said Elena. "It's been a rough year, Ric. And now this happening-it's a big turn around."

Alaric stared at her for a moment. "Oh, my God."

"What?"

"You're in love with him."

* * *

The darkness was finally lifting from his safe haven, and he felt the exhaustion ebbing away from his bones.

Elijah slowly lifted his lids, feeling like they were made out of sandpaper with the way they scraped back over his eyes. He let out a pained groan and ran his hands over his face.

"How are you feeling?"

He froze, his ears at attention. The voice wasn't Elena's. It wasn't even female.

Alaric.

"Hello, Alaric. Always nice to see you," said Elijah.

Alaric ignored him. "You look better."

"I feel better," said Elijah, carefully pulling his upper body off of the couch. He realized that he had been wrapped up in blankets like a cocoon. "Where's Elena?" he asked quietly.

"She's in the 'sitting room'," said Alaric, using air quotes around the words. He hated the Mikaelson mansion as much as Elena did. "She passed out in exhaustion."

Elijah glanced down shamefully. "I'm sorry. I told her time and time again that she needn't stay with me-"

"She knows that, Elijah. She's a big girl and can make her own decisions," Alaric defended quickly.

"She thinks I'm one of those lost causes, little boy blue. Just lost my mother and the rest of my family. So she's just trying to put me back on my feet," said Elijah, making every word up as he went along.

Alaric grimaced, the memory of his and Elena's argument still fresh in his mind.

"Listen, how about you get the hell out of this haunted house?" Alaric suggested begrudgingly. "You can stay at the Gilbert house until figure something out. You can't stay here."

Alaric had been staring around the parlor while Elijah had slept. Almost every single one of the same thoughts that Elena had had had gone through his mind. For the first time, he actually felt sorry for Elijah Mikaelson.

Elijah shook his head to decline that offer for the second time. "No, thank you. I'm perfectly comfortable here. This was my brother's home."

"That's exactly it, Elijah. It was Klaus's home. Jeez, I'd want to get out of here as quickly as I could if I were you," said Alaric as he leaned against the end table.

Elijah tilted his head slightly. "Why are you being so nice to me?" he asked, immediately taking Alaric by surprise.

Alaric sighed, looking away. "I dunno. Maybe because Elena cares and it's hard for me not to, too."

* * *

The hot water pulsed down on her back, making all of her achy joints start to relax. It had been a really rough couple of days and it was all finally coming up to beat her over the head.

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a huge fluffy towel off of the rack beside the tub. Even the bathrooms had been untouched; everything was just the way it had been left before the ritual.

She dressed slowly in the clothes that Alaric had brought her. He had also dropped off some clothes for Elijah, too - ones that were more comfortable than the usual pristine and pressed suits that he wore. She could tell how touched Elijah was when Alaric did that without being asked. It made her wonder when the last time was someone had shown him any semblance kindness.

She pulled her long hair back into a loose plait and exited the bathroom, padding out to the kitchen. She set about preparing a pot of strong coffee after digging some out of the cupboard. The whole kitchen was totally stocked with food, and, of course, the back of the refrigerator had plenty of blood bags. She had always known that Finn and Elijah never fed on humans so Klaus kept a stock of blood bags for them.

Sighing, she stared at the blood bags for a moment, wondering exactly what was going to happen to that now. Meredith could probably sneak it back into the hospital. She realized then that Elijah hadn't even mentioned that he hasn't craved blood in the last two days.

"Are you intending to turn into a human popsicle?"

Elena jumped about a foot in the air, bashing her head on the fridge door in the process. She whirled around and saw Elijah standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking a little haggard, but much better than he had a few hours ago.

"You scared the hell out of me!" she barked, pressing a hand to her chest in efforts to slow her rapidly beating heart.

He smiled sadly. "Sorry."

She managed to catch her breath, her eyes watching his form. "How are you?"

"Better. Thank you," said Elijah, accepting the coffee that she offered him.

"Do you want to eat something? You haven't had anything," said Elena.

Elijah shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"Bull. How about some toast?" said Elena, turning towards the kitchen counter. She pulled bread out of the cupboard, having already familiarized herself with the giant kitchen that previous night while Elijah had slept. She had made the decision the night before to go full mother hen on the stubborn ex-vamp. She set about preparing the toast and kept her back to the man, afraid to look at him.

She kept an ear cocked as Elijah moved around behind her. She heard the fridge door open and watched him in her peripheral vision.

He was standing there with the door open, his eyes focused on something inside the ice box. She already knew what it was and sighed deeply, letting the knife she was holding fall to the counter. She carefully turned and looked at him, watching softly as he continued to stare into the fridge.

"Are you all right?" she asked quietly, her voice barely audible.

Elijah didn't answer, his eyes still on the blood bags that lay on the bottom shelf. He took a deep breath and reached inside, grabbing the milk before shutting the door.

"I'm fine," he whispered, pouring a little bit of milk into his coffee.

Elena didn't believe him for a second but didn't say anything. She ignored the battle that was raging inside of her, telling her to hurry up and say something, anything to him.

She watched him as he lowered himself back onto the chair and took a ginger sip of his coffee. Her eyes carefully scoped his appearance, appreciating the fact that he did look a lot better than he did forty-eight hours before. His skin had slowly returned to that light tan it had had before, his eyes weren't as red and puffy, and his breathing sounded better.

Meredith had warned her that the transformation back to a human would weaken him greatly. His immune system was just coming back to life and he would be greatly vulnerable to any type of germ. If she coughed on him, he would probably catch pneumonia.

"You know, Elena, I love your eyes but your staring is slightly unnerving."

Elena jumped again, having not expected him to speak so suddenly. She blushed scarlet and turned away.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her back to him.

"Don't be. I'm glad that you care," he said quietly.

Elena kept her back to Elijah but couldn't help it anymore. "What does it feel like?" she asked.

"What does what feel like?"

"Not craving blood anymore," she whispered.

Silence.

But then she heard him take a deep breath and she turned, her eyes watching him softly.

"It's different. It was the only way I could survive for years," he began slowly. "Back in the 900s, there was no such thing as a blood bag so I had to kill. And I hated it."

Elena slowly placed the toast on a plate and set it down on the table in front of him. She pulled out the chair that was empty and carefully sat down, her coffee eyes never leaving his face.

"So did Finn and Rebekah. Neither of them liked killing either but we all had to do it to survive. I even tried what Stefan did for years, just feeding on animals. But I was weaker than most, so I took to feeding on humans to the point where I didn't kill them but drank enough to survive. Then I would compel them to forget what happened and let them go," said Elijah, his eyes on his cup.

Elena remained quiet.

"Klaus glorified in what he was. He became a ripper. He would take bodies and tear them to shreds, draining every ounce of blood from them. The first time I witnessed it, I considered staking him. That was before the curse had been put on him, when I could have killed him with a white oak stake," he quickly added.

Elena nodded.

"But then I decided to go another way. I would try to bring him back down to what he used to be, just a happy young man that loved life even though he had a temper."

"How old were you when you were turned?" Elena interrupted. "Oh, sorry."

"No, it's all right," said Elijah. "Well, Rebekah was seventeen, as you already know. Kol was twenty one, Klaus was twenty four, Finn was twenty six, and I was twenty eight."

"So, you've been a twenty eight year old for 1100 years? God, I'd hate that. Never growing older. Never reaching thirty."

Elijah chuckled at Elena's warmth. "I would think that you wouldn't want to turn thirty?"

"Do you really think I'm that shallow?" Elena protested, a smile reaching her lips.

"Of course not," whispered Elijah.

"Sorry. I'll shut up now," Elena sat back in her chair and clamped her hand over her mouth.

Elijah smiled. "Rebekah tried too, she tried to get him to calm down. But then she—she saw that maybe doing that was better. And she and he left to continue on while I went on my own."

"So that's how Klaus and Rebekah…" Elena's voice trailed off.

"Precisely. I think the time that Klaus and Rebekah were in Chicago with Stefan, I was in Boston earning a doctorate in American History," said Elijah, his eyes following every change in expression on her pretty face.

"How many degrees do you have?" she asked suddenly, her curiosity over taking her.

"Well, since I've had many years of life…" he silently ticked the numbers off on his fingers, causing Elena's stomach to jump in anticipation. "I have five doctorates in history. American, European, Chinese, Japanese, and Dutch. I have seven MFAs, and twelve BFAs in other assorted subjects."

Elena could feel her mouth fall open in shock. "My god..."

"Thank you."

Elena looked up for a second before getting that Elijah was cracking a joke. She started to laugh quietly and gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry," she found herself saying.

"What for?"

"For what you had to go through," she whispered. "That's the reason why I didn't want to become a vampire. I couldn't imagine having to live through all of time and watching all the people that you cared about die…" Her voice trailed off when she realized she was babbling.

Elijah smiled again. "Don't be. I've gotten over it," he said.

Elena highly doubted that.


	5. Chapter 5

**~~~First Day of the Rest Of Your Life~~**

_Beauty was all around._

_She watched as the little girl ran around the yard with her father. Her husband held up a long wand and blew a bunch of large bubbles. The tiny girl laughed an amazing, gleeful laugh and chased after them. Her long hair, so like waves of golden wheat, floated in the breeze._

_She sat back on the chair, pulling her knees up to her chest. Her eyes never left the two people as they continued to romp and play around the yard._

_It had been a rough couple of years. But everything had worked out all right in the end. The unconditional love...the spiritual bonding...it had been the best thing._

_And there was a perfect little miracle there to prove it._

* * *

"Elena?"

Elena's eyes shot open. Her vision focused and she rubbed her face. She could see the doorway to her room open and Alaric was peeking inside.

"Wazzagoinon?"

Alaric cracked a smile. "You all right?"

Elena sat up in her bed and pushed her dark locks out of her eyes.

"Yeah. Was having a strange dream."

"We heard you moaning and groaning all the way down in the kitchen," said Alaric.

"We?"

"Yeah. Stefan's here. He's having some coffee."

Elena couldn't ignore the swoop of annoyance that had spread through her body at the mention of her former boyfriend's name. She had ignored his and Damon's calls for the last two days, having been a little busy watching over Elijah.

It was later that afternoon. Elena had watched over Elijah after he had dropped off to sleep. She had called Meredith again and Meredith had told her to stop worrying about the man who was clearly on the mend and to go home and get some rest. She was so tired that she had done just that.

She couldn't see herself driving home so she called Caroline. Caroline was there within five minutes and had driven her home. Alaric had come and gotten her out of the car and carried her up to her room. She had slept for five hours.

"Damon's not here, is he?" she found herself asking.

"No," said Alaric.

_Thank god._

* * *

Elena showered and dressed quickly. She wanted to go and check on Bonnie and Abby before going over to the mansion. She had something planned.

"Hey, Stefan."

Stefan shot out of his chair at lightning speed and pulled her into a tight hug. Elena returned it with only half the strength that he had in his.

"Are you all right? Why haven't you called me? Or Damon? Or any of us?" he babbled. "You scared us so-"

"Stefan-" Alaric began to interrupt but Elena held up a hand.

"Caroline, Bonnie, and Alaric have known where I was. I just asked them not to tell you or Damon because I knew that you would try to stop me."

"Stop you from what?" asked Stefan.

"Elijah's been very sick. She's been taking care of him," said Alaric.

Stefan's green eyes narrowed. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I thought you said that you trusted me," Elena snapped. "I thought that about the both of you. But I guess not. Damn it, Stefan. I am sick and tired of this. I know that for months I was trying to make the two of you better people but I know I shouldn't have. What this is-" she scanned her arms between herself, him, and an invisible Damon, "isn't healthy. None of it is. I know I sound like such a hypocrite here, but I need to be done. With all of it. Now, I am going over to Bonnie's to see how she's doing with her mom. You are welcome to accompany me because she's a friend to both of us, but we will not talk about Elijah."

* * *

Alaric stood alone in the kitchen after his daughter and Stefan had left. He sipped at the coffee in his hand but didn't really taste it.

He had seen the looks on their faces.

He had seen that look only one other time in his life.

The two of them were in love. But they both refused to admit it. Even though he had said it to Elena's face, she had immediately ignored him. And even when he had spoken with the younger man, just watching him as he watched her, he knew it.

There was something else about Elijah that he did like though. Something that he trusted. After everything that he had done for Elena, how could he not?

He just hoped that everyone got the happy ending that they deserved. Even Elijah.

* * *

Elena left Bonnie's house around three that afternoon. Abby was doing so much better and was learning a lot from Caroline and from Stefan. Stefan told her on the way over to the Bennett house that that was what he was doing the last few days, helping Abby hunt and work through the initial bloodlust.

Bonnie was grateful that they had all been there for her but was now ready to move past it. She threw everyone out at three except Stefan. Elena was grateful for that and snuck out of the house before Stefan noticed she was gone.

She drove the now-familiar route to the Mikaelson mansion, her eyes taking in the beautiful fall colors of the town. Despite it being late November, it was still so amazing to her, every aspect of nature. It was something she treasured.

She pulled down the long driveway, stopping the car in front of the house. To her intense surprise, she found Elijah sitting on the front porch, a thick cloth coat wrapped around his shoulders.

"Hello," she greeted him as she got out of the car. "How are you feeling?"

Elijah looked up at her, an expression on his face that she couldn't really read.

"I'm very well, thank you." Silence for a few moments. "I'm surprised you came back."

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Elena. "Come on, get in the car. I have something I want to show you."

"Excuse me?"

"Get in the car," she repeated. "There's someplace I want you to see."

Elijah continued to watch her apprehensively but he did rise to his feet and slowly walked down the long steps to the driveway. She noticed a slight shake to his movement and could tell that he was still weak.

Elena drove in silence for the next several minutes, very aware of the man next to her. Alaric's words kept pounding in her head and she was having a rough time ignoring that little voice.

Finally, they arrived at a small wooded area, about five miles outside of town. Elena pulled the car up to the gravel parking lot and killed the engine.

"Where are we?" Elijah asked, looking out the window.

"We're at my favorite spot. It's called Rose Hill Trail. It's a hiking trail but of course, I never go hiking," she explained briefly before getting out the car.

Totally confused, Elijah followed.

There was a small trail that began at the opening of the woods. It was covered in golden and scarlet leaves, giving the area a hint of peacefulness.

"Why did you bring me here?" Elijah asked as he followed her.

"You have told me so much about you and showed me the innermost secrets of your heart. Maybe it's time that I return the favor," Elena whispered. She then sped up a little, leaving Elijah behind.

Elijah watched her go before continuing on behind her.

They walked in silence for a few moments as Elena led him through a small pathway. Then it crossed over to the sounds of rushing water.

Elijah stood for a second, listening to the sweet echo of the creek. Ever since he had turned, he still hadn't used to the fact that he couldn't hear the way that he was so used to for so many years.

Within the trees, he could make out a small wooden bridge, made out of mahogany and brick. It had an overcast cover to it and it was absolutely breathtaking.

"How long have you been coming here?" asked Elijah as they crossed the bridge and stopped in the middle.

Elena leaned on the side leaned on the side railing, looking down at the rushing waves. "Before all of it. Before everything had ever happened. Before my parents died, before the Salvatore brothers came back...before everything." She sighed and turned around. "I still come here all the time. I have never shown this place to anyone. Not even Alaric or Stefan or Damon."

"Why are you showing this to me?" Elijah asked, his eyes on her.

Elena brought her eyes up to meet his. "I have no idea," she murmured.

Elijah broke their eye contact, shuffling forward. "You shouldn't have done this, Elena."

"Done what?"

"I know what effort you're trying to make here. But it's not going to work. You can't do that."

Elena rolled her eyes. "And what exactly am I doing, Elijah? I'm trying to share something with you and you're shooting me down!"

"You are trying to get me to feel and it's not going to work!" he snarled, the shadow of the vampire in his face. "No matter what, I will still be the vampire."

"But you're not, Elijah! You're not a vampire anymore. You have been given an amazing gift. A chance to start over," Elena snapped. "You told me that you wanted to have the life before Mikael and Esther turned you. You told me that you were so excited to live and they took it all away from you. They took it all away from your siblings. Nobody should have those choices taken away from them."

"Choices?" Elijah repeated. "How dare you?"

"What?"

"How dare you give me that? How dare you say that to me? It's not like you haven't had those thoughts cross your mind."

"Notice that I'm not a vampire," Elena snarled, spreading her arms out, arching her willowy figure. "I refuse to become one because I am supposed to grow up. Every vampire I have ever met has never had that. They never had that choice given to them, with the exception of Katherine. Stefan never wanted to be one. Caroline never wanted to be one. I wanted to see them have the chance again. None of your siblings wanted to be one. They will never grow up. They will never have the chance to make those choices that every person deserves. Even you."

"Even me?" said Elijah.

Elena took a tentative step towards him. "Don't you understand? You have that choice now. You can feel for what you have lost and what you have gained. It's all right to feel now."

Elijah stepped away from her, his eyes on his feet again. He rubbed a weary hand over his eyes before looking out to the water. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper.

"I never said anything. Every single blow that Mikael laid on Niklaus, I never said anything. I never raised a finger to help him."

"But you were there. Rebekah told me that the two of you were always there when it was over," murmured Elena.

"Yes, to offer shameful comfort and consolation."

"That's better than not doing anything," said Elena. "Why else do you think Klaus left you and Rebekah alive for years?"

"He was an interesting child, you know," said Elijah, taking her by surprise. "I was four when he was born. Mother used to say that he was born with fire in his eyes and that's why he was such a rambunctious toddler."

Elena smiled, carefully shifting her body so she was only a foot away from him.

"Finn was different. I was two when he came along. I don't even think he cried after his birth, just looked around at everyone, taking in their faces. He was definitely Mother's favorite, as you already know," he chuckled dryly. "He would follow her around while she worked in the house. She taught him how to cook first out of all of her children. He was always the most magnificent chef."

"My mom used to do that with me," Elena murmured. "She would put me up on this huge stool and let me mix the spaghetti and the sauce together." She immediately felt stupid for bringing that up. But Elijah looked grateful for the sound of her voice.

"Kol came next, forever mischievous, even when wasn't trying. He was always independent, preferring to do things for himself rather than rely on us or Esther and Mikael. He and Rebekah were always fighting, but I knew that they were secretly close. He and Niklaus constantly butted heads because they were so alike. He and Finn never got on well, though, because Finn was a stickler for the rules that Kol liked to break.

"Then there was Rebekah. Always getting into trouble. She had that fire. The same fire that Niklaus had. That was why they got along so well. She was always loved deeply by both of our parents. While Mikael was hunting her and Niklaus, he never had the intention of hurting her." A deep sigh ended that thought. "Henrik was the youngest. He was only eleven when he was mauled by werewolves. It had been Nicklaus's fault, even though it was a horrid accident."

Elena's breath caught in her throat. "That's what set him off, wasn't it?"

"When Tatia was killed, that was the final straw. But yes, Henrik's death was the first thing to move Klaus's rampage onto a head start. It set off his werewolf gene," said Elijah. His breath caught in his throat and Elena reached a hand out, gently grasping his shoulder.

"Elijah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you do this-"

"No, no. You began this and I am going to finish it," Elijah snapped. He instantly felt guilty for being so brash but he couldn't help it.

"Go ahead."

"I wasn't a good man. I spent twenty eights years as one and I never tried to help out my brother. I set my sights on the one woman that he loved most and took her away from him. It was my fault in the end. Mikael knew that Tatia was our weakness and used her for that. It was my fault…"

For the first time in one thousand years, he felt himself break down. Totally break down and let go of everything that he had been holding in for so many years. That gate on the his dam of emotions let loose and his knees buckled.

Elena stared at him for a split second before she reacted. Her arms neatly caught him around the shoulders as he began to go down. But she didn't try to lift him back up. She went down with him.

Her arms shifted around his upper torso, her hands linking together across his front. She pressed her cheek against his neck, almost hearing the blood run cleanly through his arteries, reminding her of how truly alive he was.

His body shook in her arms, sobs that he wouldn't allow to escape from him. Her right hand moved to his back and began to gently rub in circles.

"Let it go. Just let it go," she whispered in his ear, her nose touching his cheek. "Let it go, Elijah."

The sound of his name coming from her lips made his breathing ease slightly. The sound of her voice would always soothe him.

"It's not your fault, Elijah. Don't ever think it's your fault," she breathed. She felt his fingers come up and grip her hand. She reaffirmed her grip with her other hand, pulling him even closer if that was possible.

The tears continued to flow freely down his cheeks and he didn't even bother to try and stop them. Elena could feel her tears raging inside of her and she slowly let them release. Her heart broke for the man in her arms as she wished there was something more she could do to comfort him.


	6. Chapter 6

**~~~Feels So Right~~~**

_There were flowers everywhere. Orchids and roses and lilies and every other kind under the sun. That was what they had requested in lieu of gifts - everyone to bring a selection of flowers._

_He thanked heaven that he didn't have hay fever because that would have been a problem._

_It was an amazing day. The sun was at the perfect height in the sky, casting the most magnificent warmth on the wedding guests. Every single guest stood around in the soft grass, their arms cast out, welcoming the love in._

_He could feel the butterflies in his stomach, but they were weak ones, the wings beating feebly. When he had woken that morning, the nerves had been pretty ardent but as the day went on, they had faded away._

_He was excited. He was happy._

_He couldn't wait for it to be over so she could become his wife._

_Friends were gathered all around. Interestingly enough, half of their wedding guests were vampires. Even the Salvatore brothers were there, having shown up just to appease her, who they still cared about. He was actually quite happy to see that they had each finally found someone to spend eternity with them. He wasn't surprised that one was a familiar blonde that his brother had tried to woo for such a long time. She was with the younger Salvatore while a memorable red haired vampire stood with the elder._

"_Hey, everyone! She's ready!" shouted a voice from the other end of the small clearing._

_He could feel his heart jump in excitement as everyone gathered around. His eyes scanned around to all of the people that they loved and who loved them. It was everything that she had ever wanted for this day, just being surrounded by people they loved on a beautiful autumn afternoon._

_He heard the gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, threading out a song that sounded quite recognizable to every single person that was there._

_And then she appeared._

_She wore a dress of dark ivory, having voiced several times how much she hated the white wedding gown tradition, having called it 'bogus' more times then he could count. Her dark hair was loosely pulled on top of her head in glossy curls, many hanging freely down her neck and around her face. She looked breathtaking._

_He stared at her for a second before a poke in the back woke him up again. She caught sight of him and the biggest smile spread across her lips, making her coffee eyes light up like midnight stardust._

_For years, he had spent his life taking things for granted. Everything was always there and he always counted on it to be there. But now...now it was different. Now life was something to be treasured and held onto. Never taken for granted._

_They lived their lives like that. She had helped him learn how to start over in a world that was so new and so foreign to him. Starting a new life like a brand new baby._

_But now was all that mattered._

* * *

"How are you?"

He managed to cast her a weak smile.

"Much better."

She didn't speak again for the next several minutes as they continued to walk. But after a while, he felt gentle fingers slip through his, carefully twining them together.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

"More than anything."

"You don't have to sell the house. You can still keep it and just lock it up or something."

He shook his head. "I want it gone."

The real estate agent nodded. "All right, Mr. Mikaelson. As you wish."

As he signed the forms that signed away his life, he could feel her eyes on him. He lifted his gaze to the doorway to where she was perched like a robin, her dark eyes filled with encouragement and also slight nostalgia.

Once the agent was gone, Elena finally stepped out of the doorway.

"You better be sure. It's too late now," she said with a small smile on her lips.

"I am sure," he repeated for the fourth time that afternoon.

"Where are you going to go?" she asked.

"I've already bought a house closer to the town."

"You have?" her voice was a squeak that he was definitely getting used too.

"Would you like to see it?"

"Now?"

"If you have the time."

"Oh, more than anything."

* * *

The house was so much smaller than the mansion. It actually could have fit inside the sitting room of the house. It had wood siding with beautifully contrasting green shutters.

"Wow. It's beautiful," she whispered as she slipped out of the car.

Elijah shut the passenger door after him as he got out of the car and looked up at the house. "I wanted to find something that wasn't so clichéd against what I used to live in." His eyes were still on her, though. Not the house.

Elena walked up the long pathway to the porch. Elijah caught up with her and unlocked the front door. He pushed it open and she stepped inside.

Inside was breathtaking. She couldn't believe her eyes at what greeted her. Hardwood floors, high ceilings, silver chandeliers, and a huge brick fireplace with a protective screen around it.

"Oh, my..." Elena stood in the center of the living room, slowly turning on the spot. Her mind was still trying to take in what she was seeing, not really registering the beauty.

"Do you like it?" asked Elijah as he approached her side.

"Do I like it?" Elena repeated. "Elijah..."

Elijah took her babbling as a good sign. Elena gently slipped past him and dashed up the stairs. She found two bedrooms, one master and one smaller. She also found a bathroom and an attic.

She scooted back down the stairs and passed Elijah again who hadn't moved from his spot in the center of the living room. She found the kitchen, made of hardwood and painted a light, warm brown. The stove was cast iron, pots and pans already littering the top of it.

"This is amazing," Elena said as she walked back out into the living room where Elijah was waiting. "This is absolutely beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Elijah, what matters is if you like it. You didn't buy this house just because you knew I'd like it," she said.

"You're right, I didn't," said Elijah, rubbing a hand over his forehead. "I love this house."

Elena's eyes raked his face, looking for any sign of dishonesty. She didn't see a bit.

Then she did something that took them both by surprise.

She hugged him.

Elijah froze as her warm arms circled him. She had held him while he had had that emotional meltdown but this was different.

It felt right.

It felt so comforting.

It felt like...

Home.

* * *

Days passed. Elena assisted in filling the house with furniture and soon it was chock full. They picked out different pieces together and also apart. Every time something new got dropped off, both of them had to find a way to fit it into the already cluttered house.

But as time went by, Elena caught herself caring more and more about the former vampire. They had become nearly inseparable, and Elena found herself thinking about him when they were apart. She was having trouble focusing on simple tasks, her mind always straying to his calm, welcoming face.

As time went on, Elena found herself ignoring the final calls of the Salvatore brothers and spending more and more time over at Elijah's house. And almost as equally as many times, she would find Elijah standing on her front step, ready to spend an evening with her and an hour or two discussing history and arguing over politics with Alaric. Sometimes, Elena would have to break the argument up when it got a little too feisty.

"You know, you should think about a profession."

"I beg your pardon?"

Elena's ears perked up at the sound of her father's voice. She was standing in the kitchen preparing a pot of hot coffee for Alaric and herself and a cup of Earl Grey tea for Elijah. Caroline and Bonnie had just left after having dinner with them once the discussions began to return to history for the tenth time that evening.

"A profession," Alaric repeated. "Something to do with your life besides following Elena around and arguing over politics with me."

Elena could practically sense Elijah freezing up from all the way across the house.

Acting like he hadn't heard Alaric's words, Elijah sat back in his chair, thinking about the proposition.

"And what do you suggest I do with my life?"

"Well, sense you've only got about fifty years left, why don't you become a teacher? You love to bicker with me so much, so why not?" suggest Alaric. "How many doctorates in history do you have again?"

Elijah chuckled. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Elena standing in the kitchen doorway.

"That is an interesting idea," he said, his eyes on the woman.

Elena smiled, fully entering the room and placing the pot of coffee on the table and handing Elijah's tea to him and another cup to Alaric.

"I'm not saying 'high school teacher'. For shame!" Alaric said, as he took a sip from his mug after filling it. "Maybe a professor?"

"That's actually a really great idea," Elena agreed. "Why not?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, there was a loud banging on the front door.

"Who the hell is that?" said Alaric as he glanced at his watch. "It's ten o'clock at night."

"I don't know," said Elena. "I'll go see."

She started for the front door but was hauled back by a pair of strong hands. She looked up to see a pair of brown eyes laced with worry.

"Let Alaric see," said Elijah as he released her. "Just let Alaric see."

Elena's eyes widened in surprise as she realized what Elijah meant.

"All right," she whispered, her eyes on at her father.

Alaric nodded and rose up. They watched him as he stepped out into the front hallway and slowly walked to the door. He opened the front door to reveal a very agitated Damon Salvatore.

"Damon," he said quietly.

Elena could see from where she was standing that Damon was shaking. No, he was trembling.

"What the hell is going on here?" He breathed out.

"We're having dinner, Damon," said Alaric calmly.

"With him?" he asked, pointing towards Elena. Elena jumped slightly when she realized that Elijah had joined her side without making a sound.

"Yes, with _Elijah_. Elena invited him over. I don't recall her inviting you though," said Alaric, a hint of coldness in his voice. He loved Damon very much but he was getting tired of this.

Elena couldn't ignore the hurt expression that crossed Damon's face. She was so tempted to fly at him, hug him, and tell him that he would find someone that could love him for him. But her feet were frozen to the floor and her heart was telling her to hold off on that.

"Fine," said Damon as he turned to leave.

"_No_!"

Elena fell backwards against Elijah, unable to register what she had just seen happen.

Damon had flown for the doorway, every intention of getting inside and ripping Elijah's throat out. He didn't give a damn that Elijah was human and was harmless. All he wanted was the Original who had taken Elena from him dead on the floor.

But instead of getting through, Damon had crashed into an invisible barrier, flying backwards about twenty yards and falling on his back onto the crunchy grass in the yard. He groaned and slowly sat up, glaring at the three of them.

"What the hell-?"

"How in the world did that happen?" Elena wondered aloud before clamping a hand over her mouth.

"It must have been Mother's ritual," said Elijah.

"What?" Alaric, Elena, and Damon all turned to stare at him.

"Because her ritual worked…well… mostly worked, every vampire's invitation into a home has been rescinded."

"Then how did Stefan get in here?" asked Elena.

"I invited him in," said Alaric, understanding stretching across his features. "And I thought I heard Caroline saying at dinner that she had trouble getting into her house. Her mother was there and got her inside."

"You've all gone nuts," snapped Damon. He placed his hand on the invisible barrier and pulled it away, immensely frustrated.

With that, he swept down the steps and was gone in the blink of an eye.

* * *

"You didn't have to do that."

"Excuse me?" Alaric looked up from the pot he was scrubbing to see Elijah standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He was leaning against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest and a thoughtful look on his face.

"What you did before, you didn't have to do it," he repeated.

Alaric shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't do it for you, Elijah," he said. "I did it for Elena because she cares about you. She's all that matters to me. You are just an extra," he said.

Elijah sighed quietly. He supposed he deserved that.

"Thank you anyway," he whispered before sweeping out of the kitchen.

* * *

Once Elijah was gone, Elena having taken him home, Alaric found himself alone in the living room of the Gilbert house.

His eyes traced every aspect of the room, every single little feature. It was a beautiful home, having been very lived in and filled with love and family. He supposed that was why Elena chose to stay there and not leave. But he could understand why Elijah decided to leave his mansion.

He had been inside that mansion twice. Everything inside was so Klaus. Klaus had picked out every stick of furniture, every color, every...everything. It had made him physically sick to his stomach whenever he thought about it.

He hated to admit it though, there was something different about this Elijah Mikaelson. He hadn't been inside the new house yet but Elena had told him about a million times how fabulous it was and how homey it felt. Almost like the house he was standing in now.

Surrounded by memories... good memories.


	7. Chapter 7

**~~~If Love Is An Ocean Wide~~~**

"Thank you for last night."

Alaric glanced up from his papers at the sound of Elena's voice.

"What?"

Elena shook her head, a small sad smile on her face. "You already know how grateful I am," she breathed. "Thank you for what you did. It must have been hard for you to do that."

Alaric shrugged his shoulders. "Damon was acting like an ass."

"Nothing new there," chuckled Elena. She sat down at the table, glancing at the tests he was grading. "Which class is this?"

"None of your business."

"Crap, it's mine."

"No, stupid, it's not."

"You're just a big grump today, aren't you?"

"After turning away by best friend last night and having to take a 1100 year old vampire's side over his, yeah, I would be a little grumpy."

Elena stepped back, staring at him. "Oh, my god."

Alaric looked at her. "What?"

"You had Bonnie put the barrier up on the house, didn't you?"

Alaric leaned his head on his hand and sighed. "Is it really that obvious?"

She nodded, slipping into the room and sitting down at the table across from him. "Why?"

Alaric sighed again. "I didn't do it because I cared about Elijah. I did it because I care about you. And you care about him. I knew that Damon would try to pull something that stupid and idiotic so I thought it would be better to have a little extra protection on this house."

"But why just Damon? Why not Stefan?" she asked.

"I knew Stefan would accept it and not try anything dumb. It's just that-" his voice caught in his throat.

"What?"

"Damon loves you. He loves you more than anything in this world and has done some ridiculous things to try and protect you. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that he did. But-"

"But you wouldn't want that for me, would you?"

"He doesn't seem to value the importance of family. To me, it even seems like he'd offer up Stefan to an enemy just so he could protect you," he whispered.

"So let me ask you something," Elena interjected. "If you had to choose between me and Jenna, how would you choose?"

Alaric had no answer for that one.

* * *

Thanksgiving was nearing. Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie had finally gone back to school after Esther's reign of terror and were trying to piece some of their normal lives back together. Elena was a little jumpy to be going back but knew that she better or Alaric was going to have her head on a platter.

She had woken up that morning to a message lighting up her cell phone. She accepted it and smiled at the words that blazed across the screen.

_Good luck on your first day back._

_-E_

Sometimes it scared her how much she cared about him.

"How's Elijah doing?" Caroline asked as they piled out of Bonnie's car in the parking lot of the school.

"He's doing much better. He's all moved into the new house and is trying to figure out what to do with his life now," Elena smiled, thinking about the last time she had seen him which had been the previous day.

"Sorry for asking but have you heard from Stefan or Damon?" asked Bonnie.

Elena shook her head. "Not a word. I hope they're okay."

Caroline sighed. "I did."

Her two friends stared at her. "What?"

"I heard from Stefan. I sent him a message, asking him if he was okay and if he was going to come back to school. He said he was all right but just needed to take some time," she quickly explained. "It was just sad to see. He's always reminded me of a lost puppy."

"And you're a sucker for lost puppies," reminded Bonnie with a smile.

Elena sucked in the cool air between clenched teeth. "I feel guilty for dumping them the way I did. It's just-"

"You can't help the way you feel about Elijah," Bonnie finished.

Elena nodded. "Exactly. Wait, what?"

Caroline patted her arm. "It's not wrong to feel this way. It's not wrong to love him."

"Caroline, I don't love Elijah," Elena replied, completely taken aback by her friend's words.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Elena, stop lying to yourself. It's so obvious.

"You do, Elena," said Bonnie. "Don't deny it."

Elena felt like a deer in headlights as her two best friends ganged up on her. First Alaric, now Caroline and Bonnie. This was the last thing she needed on her first day back to school.

"I care about him, but I don't love him," she said, feeling butterflies in her stomach at the mere mention of Elijah.

Caroline and Bonnie looked at each other significantly, as if to say, _Yup. She's in denial._

They left the subject alone, though, and Elena's mind began working a mile a minute. There had been the Salvatores, who she was finally able to admit that she had been in love with, both of them in a different way. Her love with Stefan was tender, gentle, sweet, but her romance with Damon had been head-first, passionate, and a whirlwind. But now, she felt nothing other than friendship for the two immortal brothers. She had resigned herself to the fact that a life with either of them was impossible. She knew all along that a life with Damon and Stefan hadn't been in reach and she had accepted it. But there was Elijah now. And he was human, just like her.

Just because he was human, was that the reason why she cared so much?

No.

"Oh my god," Elena breathed just as the three of them were turning the corner.

"What is it?" asked Caroline worriedly.

"I love him."

* * *

He stared at himself in the mirror.

His brown hair stuck out in every direction. He had gotten it cut shorter so the long, floppy locks were no longer hanging in his face, but it was more easily sculpted back off his forehead.

As usual, he wore a suit. However this time, it was a suit of dark blue instead of the usual dark brown or black. He could already see the lines forming under his eyes from sleep deprivation, dreams haunting his subconscious.

He had tried to busy himself with work for the council. Liz Forbes had happily accepted him into the fold. He had taken over Damon Salvatore's position ironically enough, Damon having up and quit less than a week ago. Elijah had a good idea to why he had done that.

He had also assisted Carol Lockwood with the Founder's group, using his historian techniques to sneakily give more of a past to the dozens of people that had 'founded' Mystic Falls one hundred and fifty years ago. Being alive for 1100 years did help out a bit.

Alaric's suggestion was weighing on his mind. Becoming a professor was becoming more and more intriguing by the second. Other thoughts joined that too, thoughts of Elena and thoughts of the life that he was sure he needed to start living.

But of course, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Elijah pushed his hair out of his eyes and walked over to the doorway, looking through the peephole.

Stefan Salvatore.

"Good afternoon, Stefan."

Stefan looked at the man standing in front of him. "Hello, Elijah," he murmured. He glanced at Elijah's attire and shrugged inwardly, wondering why he was surprised to find Elijah still looking like...well, Elijah. Still absolutely dapper in a suit of dark blue. The only thing was that his hair wasn't perfect.

"Won't you come in?" he invited, stepping backwards.

Stefan glanced down at the threshold before moving a foot. He took a careful step over it and walked into the house.

His breath was taken away when he saw the interior of the home. Everything was so..._Elena. _He could see her touch everywhere, in the furniture, the colors, the drapery, everything. But he could also see another taste in there, a taste that was obviously not Elena's. The two had obviously worked together.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Stefan?" asked Elijah as he shut the door after him.

Stefan turned his eyes over to the older man. "I want to talk."

"I'm sure you do, Stefan," said Elijah. "You have the floor."

He grunted slightly before getting on with it. "I want to talk about Elena. It's-"

"Elena is free to make her own decisions," Elijah interrupted.

"I thought you said that I had the floor."

"My apologies. Continue."

Stefan found himself starting to pace around the elder man, unable to form the words that were gurgling in his throat. Elijah waited patiently, leaning back on the balls of his feet and his arms crossed.

Finally, Stefan stopped and turned. "Why?" he asked quietly.

"Pardon?"

"Why her? She was supposed to belong to me. She was supposed to be with me forever. Why does everyone fall in love with her?" came a rush of words out of Stefan's mouth.

Elijah was stunned, stumbling back a few steps. "Stefan-"

"I get it. I see the way you have looked at her. I see the way you look at her now. Why her?"

"For the same reason why you fell for her," said Elijah simply. "Because of her doppelgängers at first. But then it wasn't like that anymore."

"It wasn't like that anymore for me either," whispered Stefan.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Elijah, giving Stefan a gentle look.

"Yes, I am sure. I don't give a damn about Katherine," said Stefan with an air of defiance in his voice.

"I'm sure you love Elena, Stefan," murmured Elijah. "I'm sure you do. But this obsession that you and Damon have with her...it's not healthy-"

Sighing, Stefan leaned himself against the overstuffed sofa that he was sure Elena picked out.

"I love her," he repeated. "I don't want to lose her."

"If you want Elena to make a decision, then I recommend that you back off," said Elijah.

"Aren't you scared that she won't choose you?" asked Stefan, feeling exceptionally childish for even saying those words.

Elijah shook his head. "I'm staying out of this," he said. "Because this isn't my battle to fight."

* * *

She wasn't surprised when she walked into The Grill and saw Damon sitting at the counter nursing a tall glass of bourbon.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the famous Elena Gilbert. The lovely lady where everyone falls at her feet and offers up their lives in exchange for hers."

Elena sighed. "Damon, can I talk to you?" she asked as she approached him.

"Sure," he said, waving his glass in front of her face. "Talk." He swayed drunkenly in his seat.

"Damon, it's eleven in the morning," she said, reaching for the glass.

"Well, it's five o'clock somewhere," he said before pulling it out of Elena's reach and taking a noisy slurp from it.

"Damon, you're acting like a child. Come on, let me call Alaric and we'll take you home,"

"No!" Damon darted off the stool and knocked back the rest of his alcohol. Elena sighed in exasperation and quickly flipped open her cell phone, dialing Alaric's number. "Oh, sure Elena. Call buddy Alaric. Call him and tell him that little Damon is awash in a sea of bourbon, drowning his sorrows and hoping to drown himself in the process!"

"Damon-?"

"Elena, can you get him out of here?" demanded the bartender, already sensing where this was going.

"I'm trying, Sam," she answered, staying a safe distance from the vampire.

"_Elena? What's going on?" _came a small voice from her phone. She pulled it to her ear.

"We're at the bar. Can you please come and help me?" she asked.

"I'm on my way."

The line went dead.

"So, that's what you're going to do, Elena? Call Daddy Ric and have him come and take care of me?" Damon snarled, a growl rippling through his body. "While you run off to be with your precious Elijah?"

Finally, Elena was starting to get annoyed. "Now, that's a low blow, Damon. Quit acting like an ass and let me take you home."

"Elena, you need to get him out of here right now," said Sam, "or I'm calling the cops."

"I know, Sam!" snapped Elena. She dove a hand into her pocket, afraid of what she was going to have to use in front of thirty other people.

As soon as her hand closed around the vervain dart that she always carried with her, the door to the bar slammed open and Alaric fell through. He must have flown there at the speed of light.

"Damon, come on. Let's go home," said Alaric.

Damon shook his head, toppling backwards. "No."

"Damon, you're acting like an idiot," said Alaric. He gripped Elena's hand and pulled the vervain dart away from her, closing it in his fingers. She stepped back and allowed the vampire hunter to work his magic. He stepped forward to Damon, grabbing his arm and cleanly driving the needle into his side, making it look like he was grabbing him around the waist in support.

The vervain took a second to take effect, but when it did, Damon dropped like a stone.

Alaric neatly caught him. "No trouble, folks. Just a guy who's had a little bit too much to drink! He won't be bothering you again, Sam. I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. With a quick head cock to Elena, the two of them dragged the unconscious Damon out of the bar and back to the boarding house.

* * *

The sunlight hit his eyelids like a thousand laser death rays. He cried out in pain and slapped a hand over his face, hoping to dull the ache.

"You're lucky we didn't take your ring off, dick," came a snide voice to his ear.

Damon sat up quickly and then instantly regretted it, holding his head in his hands.

"Damn it," he groaned, pressing his fingertips into his eyes. "What the hell happened?"

"You don't remember? You don't remember what an ass you acted like?" snapped another voice from behind Alaric's.

"Elena…"

"No! Damon, I'm sick of this!" Elena snarled, her voice laced with malice but also exhaustion.

All the guilt, all the pain, and all the anger was weighing so heavily on her heart. She knew what a horrible person she had been acting like for the past two years. Everything had revolved around Stefan and her love for Stefan. She was definitely aware of the fact that Damon loved her and wanted her but she was also aware of the fact that he would never give up on Katherine and would never stop loving her. That was why she had shut herself off from him, never allowing herself to fall.

She was a selfish person. She was a very selfish person.

For the last two nights, all of her thoughts had been on what exactly she was going to do about the Salvatore brothers because she had finally understood herself for the first time since…well, ever. And she knew what she wanted.

* * *

"I've always had the sense that you've belonged to someone else besides me and Stefan."

Elena glanced over at the raven haired vampire from her spot in the doorway. Her heart began to hammer loudly in her chest and Damon heard it.

"Your heart…" his voice trailed off.

She remained silent, allowing him to continue on.

"You've finally found the man you want to spend your life with, haven't you? It didn't really matter at first if he was a vampire or not," he stated, musing it over his mind. He was almost unaware that Elena was still there. "I just haven't let go of her yet. She's still here, every time that I look at you. I need to let her go…"

Finally, Elena took Damon's hands, kneeling in front of him.

"Damon, you have something so amazing. You are so tough and so strong. And I made the stupid mistake of trying to change you for who you really were. There is someone out there who will love you for you. Who will accept you for all of your wonderful and absolutely disturbing faults. It's just not me," she breathed, her eyes on his face.

He refused to look at her, his dark blue eyes focused on his kneecaps. Elena reached up and placed both of her hands on his cheeks, bringing his gaze up to meet hers.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Don't say it, Damon. You have nothing to be sorry about. It's all my fault," said Elena. "This isn't you."

"Don't give me that 'it's not you, it's me' speech."

"Well, it _is_ all me. I'm the jerk. I'm the self-centered bitch," protested the brunette.

Damon shook his head, getting up off of the sofa and turning his body so they were face to face.

"Stop calling yourself that," he said quietly.

"Then what do you want me to do, Damon? What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I want you to stop this!" Damon snarled, his eyes flashing red. "Stop this!"

"Stop what?" she shot back. "Telling the truth? Finally telling the truth?"

She knew already that this was the last thing that he wanted to hear.

"I'm sorry," she said for the last time. "I'm so sorry."

With that, she swept out of the room, leaving the raven haired vampire behind. But of course, in an instant he was in front of her.

"You can't leave yet," he begged her, almost groveling at her feet.

Elena stepped around him. "Yes, I can." Damon grabbed her arms. "Damon, let go of me."

"Let her go."

Damon released her and whirled around. Elijah was at the doorway, flanked by Alaric and Stefan. They both glimpsed a stake in Alaric's hand and the veins starting to protrude underneath Stefan's eyes.

"Or what?" Damon snarled, latching onto Elena's arm again with a vicelike grip.

"Take a wild guess," whispered Alaric with danger in his voice.

Damon looked from Elijah to Alaric. He glanced back at Elena, sorely tempted to rip their throats out at that moment. But then something inside screamed for him to stop. That this wasn't right. He had always known that he was never the one for Elena. He just didn't know who was.

Now he did.

And the man was standing right in front of him.

A man who had gotten the chance that he himself had always wished for ever since he was turned.

Damon inhaled deeply, his arm slipping across Elena's chest. She was suddenly hit with a flashback of one fateful night where he had her like this, quite vulnerable and quite easy to kill. But at that moment, just Stefan had been there. She was afraid to think of what her father, Elijah, and Stefan would do to Damon if he did what she knew he was thinking.

But then he released her, throwing her with extreme force into Elijah's arms. He swiftly caught her, his arms circling her back. She pressed her face into his chest, not wanting to look at the vampire that almost took her life away again.

Damon glared at Elijah, utter hatred filling him to the brim. He wouldn't even spare a glance in Alaric's direction because he knew if he did, he would fold like a deck of cards.

"Don't hurt her," he muttered.

"You don't have to worry about that," responded Elijah, his voice dripping with such anger and loathing that Elena could feel it radiating off of him.

She heard a woosh of air and Damon was gone.

The four remaining stayed frozen for several seconds, going over the past twenty minutes in their heads. Finally, Elijah gently pushed Elena back into a standing position, having been supporting her against his chest.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, worry in his eyes.

She nodded shakily. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did he hurt you in any way?" asked Stefan, staying off to the side of the couple.

She shook her head. "No. No, he stopped himself before anything happened."

Stefan grunted in fury. "He never should have touched you in the first place, Elena."

Elena groaned, exasperated. She reached an arm out and tapped Stefan on the elbow.

"Just let him be for a while. Then you can kick his ass, okay?"

Stefan looked back at her, sadness but also acceptance in his eyes. The sight right in front of him had answered his question. Elena had already made her choice.

The humans blinked and he was gone.

Elijah carefully loosened his arms from around Elena. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, brushing a hand across her forehead. "I'm all right."

"Are you sure?" asked Alaric.

"Yes, I am," said Elena. She pulled herself out of Elijah's arms and looked at her father.

Alaric nodded, still not believing her. He quickly pulled her into a hug and left the room and the house.

The two watched him go. Elena could feel her knees shaking and Elijah placed an arm around her to steady her.

"Can you take me home?" she breathed.

"Sure but why didn't you ask Alaric to take you?"

"No, I mean your house."


	8. Chapter 8

**~~~Somebody Left the Gate Open~~~**

"Are you sure you're all right?"

After being asked that for the fourth time, Elena let out a sigh of exasperation.

"I'm fine, Elijah."

"If I was still a vampire..."

"Elijah, cool it," muttered Elena. She leaned back into the soft cushions of the overstuffed couch, resting her head on the velvety fabric.

Elijah watched her for a second, finally shutting his mouth after rambling on and on during the whole drive home. He sat down on the sofa beside her and turned his head so he could look at her. He took it as a good sign that she didn't look away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered after a few moments of silence. "I didn't want you to have to choose."

"I didn't want to choose either," said Elena. "I was hoping..." her voice trailed off in an effort to cover the tears Elijah knew she was holding back.

His arm slipped around her. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm really sorry."

Elena let out a small sob, resting her head on his shoulder. "I hope he can forgive me someday. After all I have done to him..."

"Elena, you didn't know what you wanted."

"But I do now. I want you."

Elijah's eyebrows lifted up his forehead in surprise. His jaw slipped open but he quickly slammed it shut.

"What?"

Elena sat up straighter, tears still in her perfect brown eyes. "I want you, Elijah. I want you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Elena, you're only saying this because I'm human again," Elijah resisted slightly, hoping with all of his heart that he was wrong.

Elena vigorously shook her head, pulling herself off the sofa. "That's what I thought too. I thought that because you are human now, that's why I am feeling what I'm feeling. But that's not true. If it was true, I'd be married to Matt by now. I thought that one of the Salvatore brothers was all I wanted, either Stefan or Damon. But it was never them. It was always you. And one of the main reasons is because you could always tell the difference between me and Katherine and Tatia."

"Elena-"

"No! Elijah, I love you!"

The words fell out of her mouth in the way that was the exact opposite of how she wanted them to come out. She clamped a hand over her mouth and turned away from him, feeling her face beginning to burn red.

Gentle hands brushed her shoulders. They slipped down over her elbows and linked through her fingers, carefully turning her around.

"Elena."

Elijah's voice was like a tender breeze to her ears. It was so soft and so musical. She had always wondered that if a person became a vampire, they would become even more beautiful but she knew that wasn't possible. Elijah was already amazingly beautiful as a human.

"Elena." Elijah's voice was soft but firm. His index finger gently tipped her chin up. Her eyes found his. They searched her face for a split second, like he was reaffirming something in her. "Do you have any idea how long I have waited for you to say that?"

Tears stung her eyes. She let out a sigh and brushed them away.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blurted it out like that."

Elijah shook his head. "Don't ever be sorry, dear one. Don't ever be sorry."

* * *

"_And so, the Russian Revolution-"_

"_Elijah!"_

_He nearly dropped the piece of chalk he was holding at the sound of her voice. He looked towards the doorway to see her standing there, her hair loose around her face and one of his favorite smiles gracing her beautiful mouth._

"_Elena, I'm teaching a class-?" he began, glancing back over at his students who were watching the married couple curiously._

"_Elijah, it's happening. I heard from the doctor."_

"_What? You did?"_

"_We're having a baby!" She practically squealed the last word._

_This time, he did drop the chalk. Barely noticing their surroundings, he stepped towards his wife._

"_A baby?" he repeated stupidly. "A real...baby?"_

_She nodded vigorously. "No, a kitten. Of course!"_

_A big booming laugh burst out of him as he grabbed her up and twirled her around. His students burst into applause and happy calls of congratulations for the young couple._

* * *

Elena's eyes slowly opened. She smiled and looked over at the man beside her, his sleeping face calming her.

She slowly slipped an arm across his chest and snuggled closer. He stirred in his sleep, allowing her to melt against him. His arm moved slightly and she laid her head down in the crook of his elbow.

"You need to stop staring at me."

"I thought you were asleep?"

"I'm a good faker."

"I hope not at everything," she slipped in sneakily.

"Hardy-har."

They lay in silence for several moments before either spoke again.

"You know, Thanksgiving is next week," Elena murmured into his bare shoulder.

"And?"

"_And_, I would like to spend it with you."

"What about your dad and Jeremy?"

"And them too."

"Are you suggesting a big family dinner? Does Jeremy even know that I'm back in the picture?"

"Uh...not yet."

"You should let him know before you start making these kind of plans, Elena."

Elena grumbled and laid her head back down on his arm. "Fine."

"And don't pout."

"Your eyes aren't even open. How can you know that I'm pouting?"

"You're talking to an 1100 year old man and besides, you just confessed."

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

Alaric Saltzman was a tired man.

It was five o'clock in the morning.

He stood over the turkey, staring at the big naked bird for a moment before wincing.

"Don't look at me that way, Birdie. I didn't do this to you."

Covering his hand with a plastic glove, he reached up in between the legs and into the chest cavity where the gizzards were still encased in a little baggie.

"Ew. I'm so sorry. Ew."

"Who are you talking to?"

After jumping about a foot in the air and sending the bag of gizzards across the room, Alaric leaned against the counter, catching his breath.

"_Don't _sneak up on me like that, Elena!"

"I'm sorry," Elena chuckled, gingerly picking up the gizzards bag with the tips of her fingers and holding it a foot away from her. Her nose crinkled up and she dropped it back onto the counter beside the turkey. "What are you doing up?"

"I was trying to get this damn bird ready," he grumbled. "I forgot how hard it is to do this."

"Wait, you've actually prepared a turkey before?" asked Elena with a slight smile on her face as she set to preparing strong coffee.

Alaric rolled his eyes and dumped the gizzards in the garbage. "Yes, missy, I have. Don't forget that before your mom...well, went nuts and became a vampire, we had a couple of nice Thanksgivings together."

Elena looked up at her father and watched his face for a second. "What were they like? What was Isobel like?" she asked. "Did she enjoy holidays?"

Alaric glanced sideways at her. "Yes, actually, she did. She always made me prepare the bird but she did everything else. Some of the best mashed potatoes that I had ever tasted and two beautiful pies. Rolls, peas, cranberry sauce, squash, et cetera. I could go on and on."

"Huh. It's still so hard for me to think about Isobel doing anything like that. All I ever knew was-"

"The vampire," finished Alaric. "'Lena, she would have loved to have spent at least holiday with you. I know she would have."

Elena sighed. "I just...I actually have that chance now. I have the chance to have a family and to continue on with my life and I don't ever want to miss a moment with my kids."

Alaric wiped his hands off on a towel and approached his daughter. He gently brushed his hand across her forehead and cupped her face, before bringing his hands down to her shoulders.

"Elena, you won't have to worry about that. Because you will have that chance. You will be able to be a great mother and you will have those moments with your children," he whispered.

"I know. I can't wait. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if Elijah had never become human. I'm glad I don't have to deal with that, though. For once, things are perfect."

"Have you thought about names at all? It's never too soon," Ric mused.

"A bit," chuckled Elena. "For a girl, I love Evanna Jennifer."

They both smiled at the true statement and continued on to preparing their respective foods in silence.

Alaric looked up at her quiet face, a small smile starting to pull the corner of his mouth up.

"Thank you, Elena."

"What did Saint Elena do this time?"

"Jeremy? Jeremy!"

* * *

She fell slumped onto the couch, her feet falling into her brother's lap. She had never felt so stuffed before in all of her life.

"Oi. I feel like I ate an elephant," Jeremy murmured, shoving her feet off of his lap.

"You look like it too."

"Oh, shut up."

"Play nice, children," said Alaric as he placed two steaming cups of hot cocoa on the coffee table in front of them.

Both Elena and Jeremy stared at the cups for a second, eyeing them like they were volcanoes ready to erupt at any moment. Then they rushed at the cups like two people deprived of water for months.

"Easy there," laughed Alaric as he lowered himself into the chair opposite of the couch.

Jeremy took a noisy slurp of his cocoa, whipped cream coating his top lip. Elena laughed and handed him a napkin.

"I'm really glad we're together. It's really nice," she murmured.

"Are you sure you'd rather be here?" asked Jeremy.

"What are you talking about?"

As soon as the words left Elena's mouth, Alaric began choking on his hot chocolate. Elena looked over at him and saw his face burning red and groaned.

"Alaric, you have such a big mouth, you know that?"

"Kind of my best feature, darling," said Alaric as he wiped his mouth.

Elena glanced back over at Jeremy and saw a mischievous grin on his face. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. He laughed too and threw it back.

"Are you okay with this?" she asked.

Jeremy shrugged. "To tell you the honest truth, 'Lena, I'd rather see you with Elijah than either Salvatore brother. He seems to actually respect you unlike some other vampires that we all know and love."

Elena cracked a weak smile. "Thanks, Jer."

"I know it's hard, Elena. Love sucks."

She let out a snort and threw her head back. "Yeah, Jeremy. It does. And I think us three are perfect examples of how much it does suck."

Alaric joined in on their light heartedness, ignoring the ache in his own heart.

* * *

It had happened so quickly that he was sure it was a vampire. But he bit back the snarl that started to ripple out of his belly and checked the window.

To his immense surprise, he found a box sitting on his doorstep. He looked at it for a second, eyeing it with extreme caution. Leaning over, he gingerly poked it with one finger before picking it up.

Sliding open the cover, his eyes were greeted with a single white card. He pulled the card out to recognize Elena's loopy script.

_Just a small Thanksgiving gift. Love, Elena._

Nestled on the soft cotton lay a thin gold pendant. He slowly pulled it out of the box and held the pendant close to his eyes. Engraved on the metal were a few Bulgarian symbols that he recognized. Symbols that meant "peace"..."hope"..."serenity"...

Chuckling, he pulled the pendant out the box and slipped it around his neck.

* * *

She awoke to the sounds of a car pulling away from her driveway at 7 in the morning. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Who the hell is that at 7 am?" came a familiar snarl from next door. Chortling quietly, she pulled herself out of bed and padded over to the window.

Looking out, she glanced around but didn't see the alleged car that she had heard.

But she did see a small box sitting on the front porch.

* * *

"Mail call, Princess Elena."

She rolled her eyes as she snatched the box out of Alaric's hands.

"Sorry."

Alaric grumbled his response and stumbled away from her, heading for the kitchen and for a strong cup of coffee.

Elena took the small box and staggered over to the sofa, flopping down onto it and grabbing a comforter, wrapping it around her shoulders. She pulled the lid off the box and was greeted with an amazing sight.

Sitting on soft velvet lay a ring. A beautiful gold ring with a blue stone in the center.

But it wasn't just any ring.

Elijah's ring.

There was also a note.

_I don't need it anymore. I want it to remain with someone that will hold onto it. Love, Elijah._


	9. Chapter 9

**~~~I Love You More With Every Single Day~~~**

"Are you planning on telling me where we're going?" Elena asked impatiently, wearing the blindfold that Elijah had insisted on. Maybe he was just kinky like that.

"Nope," he confirmed as Elena felt him turn left.

She folded her arms across her chest, pretending to be put out with him. She could tell that he was looking at her, debating whether or not he should hold firm. As he continued driving, Elena realized that she had lost. She uncrossed her arms and put her elbow up on the middle console, resting her chin on her hand. She had no clue what Elijah was planning, no clue what he had up his sleeve, but she was sure it was going to be a pleasant surprise.

It was December twenty-third, and even though she was eighteen, Elena was waiting for Christmas with bated breath. It had always been her favorite holiday, and this was the first one she was going to spend with Elijah. A thin layer of snow had fallen on Mystic Falls, coating the ground in the white stuff. Elena loved the snow, loved the holiday season and the joy that came with it. She had also always felt that winter was romantic.

Finally, Elena felt Elijah pull the car to a stop and the engine died.

"Can I take this thing off yet?" Elena asked impatiently, not particularly a fan of relying on only her hearing and sense of smell.

"Not quite," Elijah replied. He was quite enjoying keeping her in the dark. It made it all the more special to him.

He got out of the car and quickly made his way around to Elena's side and opened the door for her, taking her hand to help her out. She shivered as the cold winter breeze hit her face and she pulled the collar of her coat up over her chin. Elijah put his arm around her as he guided her to their destination.

Elena knew where they were the moment she heard the crashing of the water below her and the familiar echoing sound their footsteps made. They were at the spot she'd shown Elijah shortly after he turned. Elena brought her hands up to the tie on the blindfold and pulled it off, her eyes taking in the spectacular beauty of winter on the river. Then he caught her eye.

Elijah was behind her and to the right, down on one knee. Elena couldn't help the gasp that came immediately after seeing him like that and the tears that sprang into her eyes as what he was about to do sunk in.

Elijah looked up at Elena, emotion evident in his eyes and in his voice as he began to speak. "Elena," he said, taking her shaking hands in his, "you've been here for me in a way that no else has. You didn't care what I was and what I had done. You cared for me unconditionally, at times barely sleeping for days. It didn't take me long to realize how much I loved you, and once I heard you say it back, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Elena Gilbert," he swallowed, one of his hands digging in his jacket pocket and producing a small, black box, "will you marry me?" He opened the box and a simple, yet stunning silver band with a diamond set in the middle stared her in the face.

Elena's hand went to cover her mouth as she held back her sobs. There were tears streaming down her face and her entire body felt as if it might shake apart.

"Of course," she choked out and Elijah stood from his kneeling position and his arms encircled her. "Of course I'll marry you," she whispered as she began to sob. She couldn't explain her irrational response to Elijah's proposal, but it was happening nevertheless. She clutched his body to hers, the realization that she was going to be Elena Mikaelson setting in.

After a few minutes of kissing and holding each other tightly, Elijah pulled away and slipped the ring on Elena's finger. It fit perfectly, just as they did.

"You know, you have to come with me to tell Ric," Elena remarked after they had silently watched the river below them crash and flow soothingly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," laughed Elijah, knowing that Ric would either be extremely happy or incredibly angry.

Elena and Elijah were sitting on the couch in the Gilbert living room for what was probably the hundredth time, but everything felt so different now that Elena had that ring on her finger. Everything felt _better. _She was fidgeting nervously, but Elijah took her hand to calm her, to reassure her. Ric watched them in confusion as they waited for Jeremy to get home. Finally, after what felt like hours, the front door opened and closed and Jeremy stepped into the living room, slightly taken aback by the silence of the three.

"What's going on?" he asked, slight worry coloring his turn.

"Yeah," Ric piped up, "what _is _going on?"

Jeremy looked from Ric to the couple on the couch.

Elena looked to Elijah and took a deep breath, using the loving look in his eyes as courage. "Jer, Ric, Elijah and I are engaged." There. She'd said it. Now it was just time to wait for the backlash.

Ric didn't say anything as he looked from Elijah to Elena and back.

"Oh my god, you're not pregnant, are you?" Jeremy gasped, his eyes widening as Elena rolled hers.

"No, Jeremy!"

"I assure you I'm marrying your sister because I love her, not to cover up a pregnancy," Elijah stated.

Jeremy nodded, relieved.

Elena looked to her for-all-intents-and-purposes father. "Ric?"

"I can't say I didn't see it coming, Elena," said Ric, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But you're only eighteen. . ."

"I wouldn't dream of marrying Elena before she graduated, Ric. Her education is far too important."

Ric sighed. "As long as you don't lose sight of your education and your family and friends, I don't see why you two shouldn't get married."

Elena smiled immediately. "Thank you so much, Ric," she cried, brimming with happiness as she stood up to hug her father.

Ric stood as well, pulling Elena into his arms. When they broke apart, Jeremy pulled her into a hug as well as Ric stepped over to Elijah.

"You be good to her," he warned. "Take care of her."

"Of course," said Elijah, shaking Ric's hand.

"That went so much better than I thought it would," Elena breathed as she hung her coat and scarf on the hook just inside the door to Elijah's house.

Elijah laughed. "What, did you think Ric was going to disown you?"

"No, but I thought he might kill you," Elena giggled, wrapping her arms around Elijah's neck.

He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to their bedroom, turning off the lights behind him.

**A/N: **So this was the first chapter that was all my writing. I hope I'm doing the story justice! So, of course there will be a wedding chapter coming up very soon, and I hope you'll all enjoy it! By the way, the title for this chapter is from Chester See's song, "Tonight I Know". Listen to it!


	10. Chapter 10

**~~~Can't Be Found On The Main Drag~~~**

Elena and Elijah sat together on his couch, watching the flames in the fireplace crackle and jump, setting an ethereal atmosphere in the room. It was cozy and romantic. Elena leaned into Elijah's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her as she sipped her hot chocolate. Everything was falling into place, thought Elena, admiring the silver band on her finger. Elijah noticed her looking at it and smiled. She was just as thrilled as he was and that made everything worthwhile. Despite the trials and tribulations of his transformation, he'd do it all again if it meant keeping the woman he loved. Elena meant the world to him, and he'd show it anyway he could, whether that was a ring on her finger, keeping her safe from violent exes, or just sitting with her in the quiet.

She looked up at him, surprising him with a small kiss. "I couldn't imagine a better way to spend Christmas eve," she whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment by speaking at normal volume.

"Nor could I," he replied, running his fingers through her hair lightly, twisting the ends.

At the mention of Christmas, they both admired the four foot Christmas tree they'd decorated a week earlier.

* * *

"_Oh boy," laughed Elena, walking through the door after school, "I think you forgot something."_

_Elijah turned, his arms laden with very beautiful, very _breakable _ornaments. "What?" he asked in exasperation. "I wanted to have it finished by the time you got home, but I'm quite out of practice when it comes to holiday decorations."_

_Elena smiled, settling for a kiss on the cheek, as his hands were full. "Well, first of all, it looks like you forgot to use lights on the bottom half of the tree." Sure enough, it looked as though Elijah had used all the lights on the top and left the bottom bare. _

"_I was going to cover that up with garland," he muttered. _

"_It's fine," she giggled, "but let me help you."_

_Less than an hour later, Elena had rectified the lighting situation, wrapped the small, white tree in silver, glistening garland, and she and Elijah had set about decorating the tree with various shades of blue and silver ornaments. She told him where to put them so the spacing didn't look strange, and by the time they were finished, everything was perfect. _

"_Just the star left," she smiled, gasping when Elijah lifted her up so she could reach the top of the tree, as it was set up on a round, wooden table. They both stepped back to admire their handiwork. _

"_You did a beautiful job," Elena said as Elijah turned the lights on._

"_Only after you came home," he laughed, pulling Elena into his warm, protective arms._

* * *

"So," Elena began, "can I open one of my presents?"

Elijah laughed. "I don't think so. Aren't you supposed to wait for Christmas morning?"

She sighed. "Well, you're no fun."

"Oh, I'm no fun, am I?" challenged Elijah, setting Elena's mug down on the table and pressing his lips to hers.

When they broke apart – it could have been after New Year's for all Elena knew – Elena blushed.

"Well, I guess you're a little fun."

* * *

Elijah turned over in bed to find Elena, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, looking at him with a huge smile plastered on her face. After rubbing his sleepy eyes, he looked back to her, deciding that, no, this wasn't a dream, and Elena was actually awake before six o'clock in the morning.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she smiled as Elijah leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked groggily.

She shrugged. "Fifteen minutes. But I didn't want to wake you."

"You're just _that _excited, aren't you?" Elijah couldn't help but chuckle as the childish light in Elena's eyes shone brightly.

She nodded, pulling on Elijah's hand to get him out of bed.

"Come _on,_" she begged, yanking the covers off him and forcing him to get up. He sighed and pulled on flannel pants over his boxers as Elena slid into a fuzzy, purple robe.

She made her way to the living room with Elijah, but he made to go into the spare bedroom.

"Where are you going?" she asked in confusion.

"To get your other present. You can start opening the other ones first – they're numbered."

Elena's eyebrows furrowed in suspicion, but she went to work on the presents nonetheless. Sure enough, they were numbered, one, two, and three. Tearing into the first one, she was taken aback by the gorgeous diamond bracelet she found within.

"Elijah," she breathed, though he wasn't in the room. She slid it onto her wrist, clasping it shut, her jaw gaping at its beauty.

She went onto the second present and found a DVD copy of one of her favorite movies – _Moulin Rouge. _She smiled at the thought of a very gorgeous Ewan McGregor waiting for her. But then again, she had her very own Christian. He just went by a different name.

The third present was a very large box wrapped in green and red wrapping paper, just as the others had been. She had no clue what it could be, as it was so light. She tore off the paper and opened the box to find a small, blue collar.

"What . . .?"

Just then, Elijah came into the room holding a small, short hair, white kitten with one black spot on its leg. It had a red ribbon around its neck with a small tag on it that said '4'.

Elena cried out as she beheld the small, mewling animal. "Elijah!"

He smiled widely as he handed her the kitten. "Her name's Domino," chuckled Elijah. "I got her from the shelter. I figured you'd love her."

"Oh, Elijah, she's gorgeous. _Yes, she is_," she said to the kitten, who meowed in response. Elena looked up at Elijah. "Thank you!" she smiled, kissing him softly. And I love the bracelet, and the movie."

"I'm glad," he smiled. "And I'm so happy I get to spend my Christmas with you."

She gave him a hug, careful to keep Domino from getting crushed. "I guess my present for you is a bit . . . redundant after this little girl," said Elena, cradling the kitten to her chest, "but I'll be right back."

Elijah heard Elena giving the kitten a tour of the house and he couldn't help but laugh to himself. Before Elena came back from upstairs, he heard barking and the unmistakeable sound of paws on a hardwood floor. A German shepherd puppy burst into the room, barking excitedly and jumping up at Elijah. He laughed out loud and picked the dog up. It yelped happily and began licking Elijah's face. Elena came into the room, holding a shocked looking Domino, and smiling widely.

"That," she said, gesturing toward the puppy that Elijah had just set down and was presently running in circles, chasing its tail, "is Chief, and he is very happy to see you."

"I guess we're both going to have to get more creative for next Christmas or we're going to be running a zoo," laughed Elijah as they watched the rambunctious animal tear around the living room.

Elena called the dog over and held Domino down so they could get acquainted. She hissed and batted at Chief, who seemed more interested with his tail than the kitten before him.

"They'll be best friends," Elena assured Elijah with a chuckle.

* * *

In the months that passed, Elena managed to immerse herself in wedding plans as well as keep her 4.0 GPA. She was living with Elijah for all intents and purposes, but Ric insisted on her staying with Jeremy and himself at least three nights a week. She had no problem with that, but there was the odd night that she just wished she could be alone with Elijah.

She and Elijah had picked a color theme for the wedding easily. Neither of them were traditional by any means, but their color choice was refined. She would wear a dress of white and Elijah a black tuxedo. The bridesmaids would wear black dresses and the groomsmen white tuxes. It would contrast perfectly, while setting off an air of simplicity and elegance, though Elena hadn't even begun to think about going dress shopping.

Next on their list was picking a date. Elena so desperately wanted a wedding on the beach, and that meant summer, which was looming ever closer. Elijah suggested a wedding in their backyard surrounded by fall colors, which would be beautiful, not to mention it would give them more time. He didn't want Elena to stress herself out, so he was trying to do everything he could to help, and at the same time, give Elena everything she'd ever wanted. It was no easy task, but he'd do anything for the woman he was determined to marry, whether it was in a royal palace or at the city dump.

* * *

Elijah walked into the spare bedroom they'd turned into an office to find Elena's head on her arms, her planner open next to her and a pen still in her hand. She was exhausted. Suddenly, he felt bad for proposing in the middle of the school year. Naturally, her thoughts would be ruled by wedding plans, and she was quickly tiring herself out. He picked her up, cradling her in his arms and trying not to wake her. He carried her to their bedroom, placing her in bed and covering her up. She stirred, her eyes opening slightly.

"You need sleep, Elena," he said quietly.

"But I have to find a date for the wedding and make an appointment for fittings and figure out who's going to be in the wedding party and –"

Elijah silenced her with a kiss. "Sleep. No arguing." He turned off the light in the room and before he could get into his pajamas, Elena was fast asleep.

Four days later, Elena told Ric she was spending the weekend with Elijah. He agreed, and she left the house for her second home. She walked into the living room to find Elijah dressed in the most gorgeous black tuxedo she'd ever seen. She immediately felt tears spring into her eyes.

"Oh, Elijah," she whispered, her hand covering her mouth as tears began to fall.

He hurried over to her in worry. "Elena, what's wrong?"

Elena laughed through the tears. "You look amazing. I knew you looked good in a suit," she joked, "but I had only pictured you in a tux before. I can't wait to marry you."

Elijah let out a chuckle, pulling her into a warm hug. "And I can't wait to marry you."

She pulled away and wiped her eyes. "So, I know who I want in my side of the wedding party. I was going to call everyone today, so do you know who you want?" It was a tender subject, as Elijah had no family left and he wasn't close to many people.

He nodded. "I left a list in the office for you. I actually have an interview for a teaching position at the community college, so I have to change and leave."

Elena nodded and smiled. "That's great! Good luck," she said, giving him a quick kiss. "See you later."

She made her way into the office and found a Post-It stuck to her binder.

_Best man: Ric_

_Groomsman: Jeremy_

Elena smiled widely when she read the note. She hadn't been sure who Elijah was going to pick, but now the choices seemed so obvious. She picked up phone and dialed Caroline, who answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Care, it's Elena. I have a question for you."

"What is it?" she asked interestedly.  
"Will you be my maid of honor?"

Elena had to hold the phone a foot away from her ear because of Caroline's reaction. Squeals and laughter followed by at least ten yeses.

"Sounds good," laughed Elena.

"Have you picked a date yet?" Caroline asked.

"Not yet," Elena answered, "but after I call Bonnie, Ric, and Jer, that's next on my list."

"Okay!" Caroline beamed. "Call me when you know."

Elena assured her she would and then hung up, dialing Bonnie's number next.

"Hey, Elena," she answered.

"Bonnie," Elena said in a sing-song voice. This sort of wedding planning was putting her in a very good mood.

She laughed, replying in the same tone. "What?"

"Do you want to be in my bridal party?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course, Elena!" Bonnie cried. At least her reaction hadn't blown out Elena's eardrum.

"Great! Now I just have to call Ric and Jeremy. And no," Elena said before Bonnie could ask, "I haven't picked a date yet."

Bonnie chuckled. "Let me know when you do."

"Will do," Elena affirmed.

She called Ric next.

"Is something wrong?" was his greeting.

"No, Dad," Elena said, rolling her eyes. "I was calling to see if you'd want to be Elijah's best man."

There was silence on the other line as Ric thought. To be honest, he was shocked. He and Elijah had grown much closer, yes, but he'd still tried to come off as the protective father figure. Apparently, Elijah knew him well enough that he considered him a very close friend – close enough to be a best man.

"Yeah, of course," Ric answered gruffly.

"Aw, are you crying?"

Ric scoffed. "Of course not."

"You're not any less of a man if you are," Elena taunted. "But seriously, can you put Jer on the phone?"

"Sure," laughed Ric, handing Jeremy his phone.

"Hey, 'Lena," he said.

"Hi, Jeremy. Elijah wants to know if you'd be his groomsman."

"Sure," Jeremy answered instantly. "As long as I don't have to make mushy speeches."

"Not at all," Elena smiled. "I have other stuff to work on, so I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Sure," Jeremy replied and they both hung up.

Now to pick a date. As much as she'd wanted a summer wedding on the beach, Elijah's idea was growing on her. She liked the image of being surrounded by orange and red and yellow leaves, but she was thinking of having it at The Falls instead of the backyard. It was a little more romantic than just chairs set up in their yard. The date was proving to be the hard part. What did she want to be their anniversary for the years to come?

Suddenly, Domino jumped up on the desk, meowing, and scared Elena half to death. She gasped and then rolled her eyes at the kitten. Her paws were wet from playing in her water dish – again – and she was leaving prints everywhere.

"I love you, but you're going to ruin all my plans," said Elena, placing the cat back on the floor. She looked at all her papers to inspect for damage, and found only one print on her planner – on September 20th.

* * *

**A/N: **Forgive how long it's taken me to update. As I've said in a few of my other fics, my other _other _grandma is very sick and is currently in the ICU and on a ventilator, battling pneumonia that's taken over her left lung completely and MRSA. It's very scary and troubling and I've been spending the better part of the week in the hospital waiting room. When I do have free time, I can't really focus on writing, so it's a miracle I got this out. Thank you for all your support for this story and for my family. It really does mean a lot!


	11. Chapter 11

**~~~The Fight For You Is All I've Ever Known~~~**

Elena had been scrolling through page after page of wedding dresses and hadn't found one she really loved. There had been ones she liked, ones she hated, and ones she wouldn't even consider. She had just gotten off the phone with Caroline, Bonnie, Ric, and Jeremy, confirming that they would be in the bridal party, and having seen Elijah in a tux had inspired her to begin dress shopping. She knew she should just make an appointment at a dress shop, but she wanted to have some sort of idea going in. Ten minutes later, she heard the door open and shut, so she rushed out into the living room to see Elijah with his back to her, hanging up his suit jacket. She couldn't see his face, and therefore couldn't gauge whether or not he had done well at the interview.

"Well?" she said hesitantly, as his back was still toward her.

He suddenly turned, a large smile plastered on his face. "They offered me the job right there," he beamed, and Elena rushed into his arms.

"I'm so proud of you!" she cried. "When do you start?"

"After spring break," he answered.

"That's in a week," she said in confusion. "Is that enough time for you . . ." He just looked at Elena, who instantly remembered that Elijah had over a thousand years of life experience and didn't need to prepare one bit for his classes. She laughed and hugged him again. "I'm just so happy for you! Oh, and Ric and Jeremy said yes. They'd be delighted," she smiled, kissing him lightly. "I have to go make an appointment to start dress shopping, so I'll be right back. I think we should go out to dinner to celebrate, too," she said, proposing the idea the moment she had it.

"Sounds great," he answered, letting her hand slip out of his as she made her way back to the office, Domino following right behind her.

* * *

"So, what's the occasion?" asked Caroline after everyone had ordered. They were seated at a large, round table near the back of the restaurant. Caroline, Bonnie, Ric, Jeremy, Elena, and Elijah were in attendance and the first four were waiting impatiently to find out why the two had called the dinner.

"Do you want to tell them?" Elena asked, looking to Elijah, a secret excitement in her eyes.

Elijah took a deep breath. "I was hired at the university as a professor in history," he said, grinning.

"Congratulations!" said Caroline and Bonnie simultaneously.

"See, I told you you'd be a great teacher," said Ric, patting him on the back.

"That's great," added Jeremy.

Elena took Elijah's hand in hers, her thumb rubbing circles on the top of it. "I'm so proud of you," she said again.

The rest of the dinner passed without incident, all of them constantly praising Elijah's success and discussing the wedding.

"So, have you picked a date yet?" Bonnie asked interestedly.

Elena pulled an embarrassed face, remembering that she hadn't told Elijah yet. "I did, actually," she confessed, looking at a surprised Elijah out of the corner of her eye.

"Enlighten us, please," Elijah joked.

"Well, Elijah had suggested having a autumn wedding, surrounded by all the fall colors, and then Domino jumped up on my planner and her paws were wet. And the only print she left was on September twentieth."

Jeremy started to laugh and Elena reached over and slapped the back of his head. "I think it's cute," she said defensively.

"It's adorable!" squealed Caroline.

"That'll be so romantic," said Bonnie excitedly.

"That sounds great, 'Lena," said Ric.

She was glad to have his stamp of approval. She knew he wasn't thrilled about having his surrogate daughter getting married at eighteen, but she was happy, and that was what mattered.

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

She brought Caroline and Bonnie with her for their opinions on dresses. Truthfully, she wanted Elijah there, but she knew her friends would never agree to having the groom see the wedding dress before the wedding – and he had to work anyway. Elena went into the dress shop with an open mind, having the picture of what she wanted already in her head, but not dead set on it. She'd showed the picture to Bonnie and Caroline, and they told her to print it out so she could show the consultant.

"Hello, ladies, how can I help you today?" asked the clerk, a warm smile on her face.

"Hi," said Elena, "I have an appointment for one o'clock with Mia."

"All right," said the clerk, "I'll go bring her out for you."

Caroline and Bonnie strayed immediately, distracted by the sparkles and shininess the dresses emitted.

"Hi, Elena, I'm Mia," said a petite blonde, offering her hand to Elena.

"Nice to meet you," smiled Elena, shaking her hand.

"Is there any particular style you're looking for today?"

"Well, actually, I have a picture here," Elena answered, producing the printout and showing Mia.

Mia beamed. "You're in luck, Elena, because we have that dress in stock!"

"Really? That's amazing!" said Elena, suddenly excited. "Guys?" she said, turning to Bonnie and Caroline and waving them over.

Mia hurried off to get the dress for Elena, directing her to a dressing room. While Mia was inside helping Elena put it on, Caroline and Bonnie waited outside excitedly.

"She's gonna look gorgeous," predicted Caroline, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Obviously!" agreed Bonnie.

Several minutes later, when Mia had the dress perfectly situated on Elena, she opened the door and led Elena to a platform in front of three mirrors.

"Oh my god," breathed Bonnie.

"Holy _crap,_" Caroline murmured.

Elena was speechless. The dress hugged her every curve, cascading down her body and ending just a few feet behind her. It was strapless and a satiny white, and she was in love.

Bonnie and Caroline came to stand on either side of her, and Elena could see the tears rolling down Caroline's cheeks.

"You can't cry, Care!" Elena begged, knowing she was close to tears as well.

"Elena, it's perfect," said Bonnie.

Elena turned so she could see her back, which looked just as gorgeous as her front.

"This is it," she said resolutely.

"You're sure you don't want to try anything else on?" Mia asked.

Elena shook her head. "I'll take it."

* * *

As the girls walked out of the shop, Elena was still in a state of surrealism.

"I can't believe they had it in stock," she said.

"And it fit perfectly – you don't even have to have it taken in," Caroline commented.

"You're going to look stunning," Bonnie assured her.

As they got into their separate cars, Elena called back to them. "I'm gonna go surprise Elijah and let him know I found _the _dress. I'll catch up with you later."

The girls nodded and Elena headed toward the university, giddy as all get out to break the news to Elijah. She checked the clock on the dash and knew his class would just be getting out, as he was done at two o'clock. She parked her car and hopped out, locking it and hurrying into the school. She fought against the crowd of students being let out.

* * *

Inside his classroom, Elijah was seated on his desk, facing the one student he'd held behind.

"Carrie, is there a reason I haven't received your report yet?" he asked gently, not wanting to scare the girl.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mikaelson," she said. "I just got _really _messed up during spring break and didn't have time to write it."

"I'm afraid spring break has been over for nearly a week now, and I still haven't gotten your paper," Elijah countered.

Carrie stood up and approached Elijah's desk, her hips swaying as she walked. "Isn't there _anything _I can do to apologize?" she asked, pouting and coming closer yet.

"You can hand in your paper, Carrie," he answered, uncrossing his arms and standing up from the desk.

"Nothing else at all?" she offered, now within inches of Elijah.

"I'm afraid time is short and I need to –"

* * *

Two things happened simultaneously. First, Carrie pressed her lips to Elijah's, and his classroom door was flung open. Carrie jumped back, grabbed her things, and flew out the door.

Elena opened the door to Elijah's classroom, almost certain she'd picked the wrong one, about to apologize for her intrusion. Then she saw the redhead back away and pick up her backpack, running past Elena on her way out. Elijah stood, shocked and dazed as he looked at Elena, an explanation on the tip of his tongue. Before he could utter a single word, tears began flowing down Elena's face and she ran back down the hallway.

* * *

**A/N: **So it seems a hitch has been thrown in the lovebirds' wedding plans! Sorry, but it can't be all fluff, folks! The chapter title is from OneRepublic's "Come Home", which is very fantastical. Also (!), the picture for Elena's wedding dress is in a link on my profile, at the bottom of my bio!

Please let me know what you think in a review!


	12. Chapter 12

**~~~You Breathe Air and I Breathe Fire~~~**

Questions blurred through Elena's mind at lightning speed, the cardinal one being _how? _How could Elijah have done something like that? What would have happened if she hadn't opened the door then, had waited until he'd come home to tell him about the dress? How far would things have gone with Elena being none the wiser? Tears streamed down her cheeks as she drove to Elijah's, her hands shaking as she put the car in park and left it running as she hurried into the house.

Elijah had called after her as he grabbed his briefcase and his jacket and hurried down the hall after her. She hadn't responded, and by the time he'd made it outside and to his car, she was tearing out of the parking lot, her tires squealing. Elijah sped home, pulling in his driveway minutes after Elena. He hurried into the house and stumbled upon his distraught fiancée stuffing clothes into a duffel bag on the bed.

"Elena," he said softly, and she refused to look up at him, tears still rolling down her face. "Elena," he said again, "look at me. Please."

"Why should I look at you when all I see are lies?" she cried, her eyes meeting his with hurt and anger.

"Elena, I know you're hurt, but you need to believe me when I say I would _never _think of looking at another woman, let alone kiss one. Carrie was trying to get out of writing a paper, and she must have thought seducing me was a good way of going about it."

Elena didn't know what to say, and she didn't whether or not to believe Elijah. She had liked to believe their relationship was better than infidelity, but how could she be sure?

"Maybe it was naive of me to think our relationship could go on without a hitch, but, Elena, you are the only woman I love. You're the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"How do I know you're being truthful?" Elena sniffed, standing up from the bed, her eyes still watering.

"I guess you'll have to trust me – and I know that's asking a lot of you, given what you've just seen, but know that I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I think I just need a few days, Elijah. I'm not saying I don't believe you, but maybe we're rushing into this too fast. I just need time to think, okay?" said Elena, picking up the duffel bag and throwing it over her shoulder.

Elijah nodded. "I understand. I'll be here waiting when you're ready," he half-smiled, stepping forward to kiss Elena's forehead. She did not resist, but she did not lean into it either.

It hurt Elijah to the core to watch Elena leave. He understood that she needed time alone to think about everything, but the fear of losing her almost eclipsed rational thought. Half of him wanted to bolt out the door after her, take her in his arms, and never let her go. She was far too precious to let her go, but he was almost certain that she just needed time to cool down. She'd be back. She had to come back.

* * *

Elena drove, much more calmly, back home where Ric greeted her at the door with a smile that faded quickly when he saw the dried tears on her face. He led her into the living room and sat her down and she told him everything.

"I think I believe him," she said through the tears that had inevitable began to fall once again, "but part of me wonders if we're moving into this too fast."

Ric sighed. What he wanted to say was something along the lines of "No shit", but in his heart of hearts, he believed that Elijah would always take care of Elena and keep her safe. It was an excuse as old as time, but he believed it for some reason, and he hadn't even heard it from the horse's mouth.

"Tell me what you're thinking," Elena nearly begged, the lost look in her eyes almost too much for Ric to handle.

"I'm thinking that Elijah's being honest with you and that I've never seen a love as pure and as steadfast as yours. I think it would be silly to let him go."

Elena's coffee eyes grew wide with surprise, her mouth falling open comically. Ric became even more worried when more tears began to fall from her eyes. Her mouth shut and she gave him something reminiscent of a smile.

"That wasn't supposed to make you cry," he said gruffly.

"I thought you were going to say 'good riddance' or 'it was only a matter of time' and then you spout something like that! You really are a romantic, aren't you?"

"Don't make me regret this, 'Lena," he sulked.

"Thank you, Ric. For everything," Elena said suddenly, throwing her arms around him.

"That's what I'm here for," Ric chuckled, embracing his surrogate daughter. For a fleeting moment, he was glad she could see that it couldn't all be rose petals and sunshine. Relationships needed work. But at the same time, he couldn't bear to see her hurting like she was. He hoped his honesty had made her feel better, but he couldn't be sure.

* * *

Elena made her way up to her bedroom, rather thankful Jeremy wasn't home. She didn't want to explain all this to him and have him turn on Elijah. The more and more she thought about it, the more and more she believed him. Perhaps it had been the earnest sound in his voice or the frightened look in his eyes. He couldn't lose her and she couldn't lose him. Still, she needed a little time away.

Just then, her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to look at the caller ID. Of course it was Caroline. Elena smiled and rolled her eyes as she accepted the call.

Before she could even speak, Caroline blurted out, "So, what did he say about the dress?"

Elena couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "I didn't tell him, Care."

Caroline gasped theatrically, utterly scandalized by this revelation. "_Why not?_" she nearly screamed into the phone.

Elena sighed. She didn't want to paint Elijah as the bad guy, but how else could she say it? "I walked in on Elijah and one of his students kissing."

Elena could practically hear Caroline's jaw hit the floor. "That bastard!"

"Calm down, Care," Elena said, her tone subdued. "He explained, and I believe him. Basically, the girl was trying to seduce Elijah so she wouldn't have to write a paper."

"And you're falling for that excuse?" Caroline asked incredulously.

"It's not an excuse, it's the truth," Elena said resolutely. "Ric believes him and I believe him – I'm just taking a few days for myself. I really do believe him, but part of me wonders if we weren't taking this too fast. I haven't even graduated yet. . ."

Caroline sighed. "This is gonna sound bipolar given what I was just saying, but you and Elijah are perfect for each other. I don't think you're rushing into anything. So what if you're nineteen when you get married. I think we're both pretty certain that this is the man you're going to spend the rest of your life with, so why not start a little earlier?"

Caroline made a good point. "Thanks, Care. I mean, you're right. Why shouldn't Elijah and I make the most of our lives while we can? We're both mortal now and I want to spend every waking minute with him. Is that bad?"

Caroline laughed. "That means you love him, 'Lena."

* * *

It hadn't been more than hour since Elena had gotten off the phone with her best friend when she found herself sitting on her bed, fiddling her thumbs. She was bored and she was lonely. She glanced at her alarm clock, which read 9:56 p.m. That wasn't too late. . . Elijah would still be awake grading papers. It was a split second decision, but Elena slipped down the stairs, into her car, and drove to one of the best places she could ever be.

She didn't knock on the front door. Instead, she slid her key into the lock and opened the door herself. In the distance, she could hear Elijah typing on the computer, probably entering grades. She pressed a finger to her lips when Chief bounded into the room, his tail wagging fiercely. She giggled at the excitement the animal exuded, as it was a mirror of her own. She couldn't stay away from this man, though she was sorry it took something like Carrie to make her realize that. She padded through the house on tiptoe, reaching the office door. The sound of Elijah's typing had ceased and he was now on the phone.

"I really screwed up," Elijah confessed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Does she hate me?" His voice cracked and Elena could see the emotion on his face.

Elena couldn't tell who was on the other end, but Elijah's expression lifted slightly in response.

"I just can't lose her, Ric. I may not have kissed Carrie, but I don't know what I'd do if this ruined everything."

Elena's heart swelled with love for Ric and the man whose back was turned toward her. She smiled a watery smile as she listened to Elijah and Ric say goodbye. She stepped into the office, taking care to be silent, and tapped Elijah on the shoulder. He spun around in the desk chair, his face alarmed. When he saw Elena standing before him, with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, he stood and pulled her into a tight, warm embrace.

"God, I missed you," he whispered into her hair.

She hugged him tighter. "I missed you, too," she laughed. "This whole thing was just stupid. I was miserable without you."

"You've no idea," he told her, pulling back to kiss her lips.

Maybe it couldn't all be rainbows and unicorns, but their relationship was strengthened by this experience. They were just glad to have each other back again.

* * *

**A/N: **So maybe that was resolved a little quicker than you had all thought, but I picture Elijah as being someone so honorable, so honest, that it's hard not to believe him. And I think Elena knew deep down that Elijah would never cheat on her. So, now that that's all cleared up, who's ready for a wedding?

The song title is from Christina Grimmie's really old, original song "Underwater Firebreather". Check it out on YouTube – it's amazing!


	13. Chapter 13

**~~~You Will Find Me Time After Time~~~**

There were flowers everywhere. Orchids and roses and lilies and every other kind under the sun. That was what they had requested in lieu of gifts - everyone to bring a selection of flowers.

It was a brilliant, autumn day. The sun was at the perfect height in the sky, casting the most magnificent warmth on the wedding guests. The roar of The Falls in the background was calming, soothing. Every single guest sat in elegant white folding chairs that had been set up earlier in the morning. Black garland was woven through the backs of the chairs, bringing with it a touch of sophistication.

Elijah could feel the butterflies in his stomach, but they were weak ones, the wings beating feebly. When he had woken that morning, the nerves had been rather ardent, but as the day had gone on, they had faded away.

He was excited. He was happy.

He couldn't wait for it to be over so she could become his wife.

Friends were gathered all around. Interestingly enough, half of their wedding guests were vampires. Even the Salvatore brothers were there, having shown up just to appease her, who they still cared about. He was actually quite happy to see that they had each finally found someone to spend eternity with them. He wasn't surprised that one was the familiar blonde that his brother had tried to woo for such a long time. She was with the younger Salvatore while a memorable red haired vampire stood with the elder.

"Hey, everyone! She's ready!" shouted Caroline from the other end of the small clearing.

He could feel his heart jump in excitement as everyone gathered around. His eyes scanned over all the guests, and he felt love resounding throughout the clearing. It was everything that they had ever wanted for this day, just being surrounded by people they loved on a beautiful autumn afternoon.

He heard the gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, threading out a song that sounded quite recognizable to every single person that was there.

And then she appeared.

She wore a strapless dress of pure white that just touched the ground as she glided toward him. Her dark hair was loosely pulled on top of her head in glossy curls, many hanging freely down her neck and around her face. She looked breathtaking.

He stared at her for a second before a poke in the back woke him up again. She caught sight of him and the biggest smile spread across her lips, making her coffee eyes light up like midnight stardust.

For years, he had spent his life taking things for granted. Everything was always there and he always counted on it to be there. But now . . . now it was different. Now life was something to be treasured and held onto. Never taken for granted.

Finally, she was beside him, and he could scarcely control his shaking hands. Ric handed her off to Elijah and they turned toward the justice of the peace, with Caroline and Bonnie standing next to Elena and Ric and Jeremy next to Elijah. He began to speak, but Elena and Elijah couldn't focus their attention on anything but each other.

Elijah looked positively captivating in his black tuxedo. His hair had been trimmed, but only slightly. It wasn't as floppy as when Elijah had first moved to Mystic Falls, but Elena didn't like it too short. His deep, brown eyes were locked onto hers as the justice spoke. Leaves continuously fell from the trees around them as the ceremony went on. It was a warm day for autumn, but Elena preferred that to the crisp, chilly days they'd been experiencing. There was a light breeze that made Elena's hair tickle her neck from time to time.

"And now the bride and groom would like to recite their own vows," announced the justice of the peace, gesturing for Elijah to begin.

He cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the remaining nerves. "Elena," he began, and he immediately felt a sudden rush of love for the woman standing before him, "my love and my life, you have saved me in every way a person can be saved. You delivered me from the edge and I would most certainly not be here if it weren't for you. You're my rock and my guiding light. You are compassionate, strong, beautiful, and a force to be reckoned with. Nothing is more important than family, and I'm grateful that I'll be able to call you mine and mine alone."

They'd both officially lost it. Elena didn't know how she was going to be able to put into words her feelings for Elijah. She didn't think she could even speak, she was so choked up. With a deep breath, she began. "Elijah, we've been through everything together. You say that I saved you, but truthfully, you're the one who saved me. You showed me what life is like, and how to appreciate every day like it's your last. I would be lost without you. I love you so much, Elijah, and I can't wait to be your wife."

Caroline and Bonnie were practically sobbing and even Ric and Jeremy had a few tears running down their faces. The love that emanated from the couple was incomparable to any other emotion the guests had ever felt. The fact that Elena was nineteen and that Elijah had over a thousand years of life experience was completely irrelevant. They were two people in love, and that was the only thing that mattered.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." The words rang out across the clearing and Elijah leaned in to press his lips against Elena's. For a second the entirety of the guests felt nothing but an immense swell of love for the couple. Even Stefan and Damon couldn't help but smile begrudgingly at Elijah and Elena as they walked down the aisle, arm-in-arm, perpetually devoted to one another.

* * *

The reception was going well, and dinner was about to be served when Damon tapped his fork lightly against his glass. Elena was immediately paralyzed with fear as he stood and someone handed him a mic.

"Elijah," he said, and Elena was about to have hysterics, "it's no secret we didn't get off to a great start. Truthfully, I was threatened by you, and I was losing Elena. I saw you as an enemy, rather than a friend. Now that I've opened my eyes, I can see how good you and Elena are for each other. I know you'll treat her well, and for that I'm glad, because I really don't want to have to kick your ass." This elicited a laugh from the wedding guests, and even Elena relaxed as she realized Damon's intentions were pure.

"Thank you," said Elijah. Truthfully, he was incredibly grateful that Damon had decided to be mature about everything. Part of him wondered if Sage hadn't freed him of his bias, but he wouldn't ask _him_ that. Damon was too proud for that kind of thing. But it was obvious that Sage was good for him, and both Elena and Elijah were glad for that.

Finally, after all the pain and trouble that colored Elena's and Elijah's pasts, everything was falling into place. Elijah had alluded to their honeymoon destination, but his hints were just vague enough that Elena couldn't be completely sure. She just packed a bathing suit and other necessities and decided she was game for anything. As long as she was with Elijah, she would go to Antarctica.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm practically flailing with Elejah feels! I wish so badly that this could be canon, but alas! If you're looking for Elena's dress, the link is in my profile. The next chapter will still be the reception and then the honeymoon, so stay tuned (?)! (Hint, if you don't know "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel, start familiarizing yourself!)

The chapter title is from Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time", which I just found appropriate for the title of the fic :)


End file.
